Heroes of the Nightmare
by Silverbits
Summary: While walking home from the mall, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki are attacked by two familiar villains. After being sucked into the in between of worlds and dragged away by strange creatures, all three wake up in strange city. With no idea how to get home, they fight their way through the cursed city of Yharnam, hoping there's a way home at the end of their bloody journey.
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1: An Attack in the Night

It had happened so quick, none of them realized why or when it happened. After everyone had met up from their own individual excursions at the mall, everybody went home. Going in their own groups. Even Shoto had been able to make it, an hour before mall closing. He wasn't able to get very many supplies, despite Izuku's and Ochaco's help.

Ochaco had gone her own way, accompanied by Mina and Tsu. They could be heared laughing while they walked away, if anyone had paid attention to the trio they would be able to see Ochaco blushing while Mina lightly teased her about Izuku. Meanwhile Tsu made blatant remarks about how the girl looked at the boy with a certain fondness, straight to the point. She chuckles when she sees the girl wildly waving her arms about while denying the crush on Izuku.

Meanwhile, walking in another direction was Izuku, up ahead he could see Katsuki. From where he was he could hear the angry chattering of the boy. He knew full well that he was aware of Izuku and Shoto behind him.

Shoto walked with Izuku, a comfortable silence between the two, and an occasional chuckle from one of them as they listened to the tempermental boy ahead of them. Izuku sighs as he looks at Shoto. "So, you visited your mom right?" He asks, remembering that that was the reason he didn't join them earlier.

"Hm? Oh, my mother is doing well." He smiles softly, the image of his smiling mother made him happy, it reassured him that she was doing better now that she was away from that piece of shit he calls his father. "She's happier now, but I still wish I could take her out of there...but..."

"But there she's safe from your father." Izuku finished, looking sad at the thought. He sees his friend nod, and they go back to their wordless company.

"Uh, how's your arm doing?" Shoto asks after a moment, wanting the conversation to continue. He can't help but think back to when they were in the hospital, when he saw how messed Izuku's arm was from their battle.

"My arm? Oh don't worry about it, it's fine." The green haired boy smiles. "It doesn't hurt, so that's good. And I've uh...been trying to work on how far I can push myself but...heh..."

"You haven't had much time to practice between the exam and recovering from said exam." Shoto finishes for him, earning an exasperated nod from the small green nerd.

"Can you two shut up!" Katsuki turns around and yells at them. "Go back to not talking stupid Deku! Same for you you punk!" He points at the two with their respective titles. "My god you're so..." He stops when he notices something appearing behind the two. "What the..."

The two see him look at something behind them and they quickly whirl around to see a dark swirling mass. Their minds immediately jump to one possibility and they all jump back, their eyes widening when they see a two figures walk out of the shadows.

Izuku gulps. "It's them...from USJ..." He mutters, seeing the man with the warp gates, and the man with the decay quirk.

Shoto grits his teeth, holding out his right arm. Ice slowly starting to coat his arm.

Katsuki growls as he opens his palms, mini explosions going off.

The man made of shadows looks towards the man covered in hands. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks, seeming uncertain of this. Araid of some kind of consequence.

"Yes, I want to do this." The pale man mutters. He looks towards the three children. "I want to break them...they irritate me." His red eyes piercing into the three.

"Remember what-"

"Yes, I remember what he said! I won't break them too bad, just enough to satisfy me." He chuckles, his hands twitching.

Izuku backed up a bit. "Guys, I'm not sure we can take them. Warp gates and a decay quirk...it'll probably go badly if we're not careful."

"Shut up Deku!" Katsuki yells, having an itch to use his power against these guys. More mini explosions go off in his hands.

Shoto looks at his peers then to the two villains. "Izuku's right. The warp gates can be used against us and that'll cause problems real quick. I can probably keep them in place while you two find a hero."

"No way!" Katsuki growls. "You two can run away like a bunch of pussies! But I'm staying and fighting!" He yells as his runs towards the pale man, extending his arm. As it looks like he's about to make contact with his face his arm goes through a dark vortex, suddenly appearing in front of Izuku. The green-nette wasn't able to react fast enough when the temperamental boy suddenly let off the explosions. Knocking Izuku back a bit, with a yell.

"The hell!" He looks up when the pale man rushes towards his with his own hand extended. He suddenly remembered what his quirk was and back up, pulling himself from the warp gate. He sets off another explosion to make a bit of distance between the two.

Izuku groans as he stands up, bracing himself. He lets the power of One For All course through his body, a glow surrounding him.

"Now do you agree with running?" Shoto growls, getting himself ready.

"Fuck off!"

The man scratches his neck as he watches the teens. "They're not paying attention...this is getting boring." He mutters. "Why are't they paying attention?" He growls, scratching his neck faster, harder. "Kurogiri...you think you can get them closer? I think we need to teach them the rules of this game."

The man made of shadows looks at the man-child. "You-"

"I won't kill them! Not yet." He yells, twitching.

Izuku frowns, looking at Shoto and Katsuki. "We have to go, we'd be fighting a meaningless battle!" He says, trying to convince them to run...or rather convince Katsuki.

"Shut up you-" He was suddenly cut off when he fell through the ground, yelling in rage as a dark warp gate appeared below him and dropped him in a dark world. Izuku had reacted out of instinct and rushed towards him; grabbing his hand and trying to pull him out. Only to be pulled in with his childhood friend.

"Midoriya!" Shoto yelled as he grabbed the back of the boy's shirt. He feels the weight of the two, trying two free them, only to have another warp gate appear under him and pull him into the dark suffocating void.

The three struggle and flail in the endless darkness, bumping into each other and one of them punches whoever bumps into him.

Two warp gates appear in front of the man-child. He giggles, pulling back him arms. He smiles widely when he sees two of the pests, but neither of them are the one with the same power of All Might. He doesn't care laughing when he sees the two of them see him, he one arm shoots towards each of them. His hand is about to come in contact with the face of the half and half kid, he sees him try to back away; putting his arm up. He grabs his arm and smiles, letting his quirk take over.

He smiles as he listens to that one boy scream in agony, slowly decaying the arm. He doesn't feel like it's doing too much damage, just enough so he won't get scolded.

His other hand doesn't come in contact with an arm or a face, but he feels it come in contact with the boy's chest. He was trying to get out.

"Bad move." He activates his quirk and grins with the other scream of pain, chuckling as he watches the boy trying to get away.

"KACCHAN!!" He hears a third voice yells, desperately. He sounds scared, worried. "TODOROKI!!" He makes an attempt to pulls the two away from their assailant. He sees the man let go of Katsuki and sees the hand of death rush towards him. He gasps and grabs his two friends, pulling them back and into the darkness. He sees that Todoroki managed to get free by burning the man.

His eyes widen in worry when he sees blood seeping from their wounds. "Y-You're hurt!" He yells, gritting his teeth. His voice echoes in the dark void, he watches the blood float around, the gate had closed.

"Urgh...get off of me!" Izuku looks to his childhood friend and recieves an elbow to the face, he yells in pain and lets go of the two. He feels his face, a bloody nose.

"That son of a..."

"We have to get out of here." Shoto says, nursing his bleeding arm. He grits his teeth in pain, and watches blood drip from his wound.

"This is a fight we can't win..."

Izuku looks down as he thinks, trying to come up with a plan. "Maybe...Kacchan can use his explosions to distract them, and while they've lost their focus we can all run." He mutters quietly, blood dripping down his face and off his chin. "Or maybe I can use a smash and they might be dsitracted from rying to keep balance and we can run...or-OW!"

"Shut up stupid Deku!" Katsuki yells, punching the green nerd on the head.

Shoto looks around. "Something isn't right." He says. "Shouldn't they have opened a gate in order to deal with us? Or at least teleport us somewhere else?" He looks to the two.

Izuku stops, and thinks. "Maybe...or maybe they're keeping us hostage? Trying to threaten the school?"

"Those punks aren't that ballsy." Katsuki mutters.

"They attacked USJ and tried to kill All Might."

"Shut up!"

Izuku stays quiet, lost in thought. With him thinking and the other two glaring at each other they don't notice small creatures appearing from the darkness near where the blood had floated. Slowly, emerging from the shadows more and more creatures appear. They start to reach for the boys.

"Either way we have- What the hell!" Shoto looked up to talk to them, then gasped when he sees strange white creatures appear. "Izuku! Katsuki! Get away from those things!" He yells, trying to boost himself away from the white, moaning creatures. Only for one to grab the back of his shirt, he gasps in surprise as the one creature easily pulls him closer. He felt all the small hands grab him, pulling him in.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Katsuki screams, putting his hand in the mass of the creatures. He yells as he activates a large explosion, he looks up in surprise when he sees that he did no damage to the strange creatures. He tries again and again, only do be dragged further into the darkness, starting to disappear.

"Kacchan! Todoroki!" Izuku yells, trying to get free from the grabbing hands of the many creatures. No matter what he did they held on tight. And even if he did get one off, there were another two to assure he wouldn't escape.

He grits his teeth as he keeps fighting, feeling tears pricking at his eyes, threatening to fall. He shakes his head, menatally scolding himelf, now was not a time to cry.

But he couldn't help it, he was scared, he had no idea what was going on. Was this that man's way of killing people while they were in his warp gates? Oh god, his mind and heart raced at the terrfying possibilities.

His vision was going dark, it wasn't him going unconsious he was being dragged somewhere darker. Somewhere with truly no hope of escape. He suddenly feels no more hands grabbing at him, they disappeared now that he was in this darker place.

He looked around in a panic, then he realized he was falling. He looks around, trying to get some sense of where he was, what he was falling towards. As he looks around he sees two shapes falling as well, far away from him. He gasps when he realizes what they were. The unconscious bodies of Kacchan and Todoroki.

"N-No!" He screams, trying to reach for them, somewhere get to them. It was futile. Tears fell from his eyes as he looked down, trying to see what awaited him at the bottom of this seemingly endless void.

He keeps looking around, as he falls faster and faster, further and further he feels himself grow tired. His body feels weak and heavy, he can't bring himself to scream the names of the other two. His eyes grow heavy, he looks around again, he can't see the other two. He takes a shaky breath as he casts his eyes downward, they widen when he sees something far away. He gasps, a large red pool, one that he was rocketing towards.

Panic takes over, and he flails around in the air, trying to figure out a way to stop himself from this end. He would surely die. Faster and faster, the dark pool that stunk like copper raced to meet Izuku.

He's about to scream as he crashes into said pool, suddenly everything goes dark. He feels himself frantically struggle, then everything goes numb.

Everything from then on is hazy, felt himself crash onto a dark floor. He felt coughs wrack his body, then darkness. He could hear the creaking of wheels, through blurry vision he could see an old man in a wheelchair. Darkness, then he slowly opened his eyes to see the man writing something down, smiling. He feels darkness take him again, he hears muffled words, he felt himself say something.

"All...just...bad dream..." The man in the wheelchair chuckles a bit before his world goes dark again.

-BNHA x BB-

What had she gotten herself into? She looks at the young man who fell from the sky, his wound seemed much better. She knew what she did now connected him to this nightmare...but she couldn't let the child die could she?

She places him on the other side of the platform, knowing what was coming next. She knew whenever someone was given a transfusion they would have a horrible fit, a nightmare. She knew she had one, it wasn't pleasant.

She sighs as she hears the yelling, the boy's screams echo and resound within the area. She watches his body convulse and shake, how he claws at his throat. Screaming and struggling against the unseen creastures she can no longer see.

"It'll be over in a moment young'n."

-BNHA x BB-

The Chapel Dweller was awfully startled when a body came crashing down from the ceiling, from some kind of dark portal. The boy crashed to the ground, letting out a brief yell of pain before going quiet again. He had landed right in front of the poor dweller.

"O-Oh dear, young man...please wake up." The dweller lightly shook the boy, then rolling him onto his back. "Oh dear!" He sees the injury, like he was decaying. The man looks around, grappling for something he could use to save the boy from his injury. He quickly looks through the little things he has, smiling when he realizes he has a blood vial. His very last one, he would sometimes give blood to passing hunters who really needed it.

He hastily gets the syinge ready, putting in the blood. He turns towards the pale young man, bracing himself for the fit he was about to witness. "I'm sorry..." He says softly before quickly stabbing the child with the syringe. He hears a small grunt of pain and then watches the injury heal itself, the once decaying skin now healing and stitching itself together. He tries to move back, knowing what was next, he had seen it countless times whenever there was a new hunter to be made. The horrible nightmare they suffered through, the fits.

He watches as the boy starts to shake, bracing himself for the screaming.

He sees the young man begin to thrash around, a choked scream escapes his throat. He begins to fight with invisible forces, like something is grabbing at him, taking him away.

He screams as he claws at the air around him, the dweller waches sadly. Thinking about how powerless he truly felt, there was someone suffering right in front of him and he couldn't do anything about it. He was the one to cause this but...he did it in good intention...

"I'm so sorry young man." The dweller apologizes, realizing what he did. The dream, it probably craves a new hunter.

-BNHA x BB-

 **Welp, yep I started another Bloodborne fanfic, I know I know I'm trash. Buuuut yeah, I couldn't help myself. This is going to include the DLC areas as well.**

 **And no, I haven't forgotten about Dimensional Beckoning, I'm still working on it. But after reading this, what do you guys want to see more of? This or Dimensional Beckoning?**

 **Have a great day/night everybody**!


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Yharnam

Chapter 2: Welcome to Yharnam

 **A/N: I do not own Bloodborne or My Hero Academia**

Izuku wasn't sure what he was seeing, after he had lost conciousness, and woken up in small incriments of time. Now he was lying on some kind of bed, unable to move.

He grits his teeth, trying to will himself to move. He tried to look around to see if Bakugo or Todoroki were around, if they had possibly fallen near him. He grunts in effort as he tries to make his body obey him, feeling a bit of hope when manages to actually look around.

As he's about to try and sit up he hears something. A growl, loud and very, very close.

His eyes dart around, as he looks around he spots a pool of blood slowly growing larger and larger. As the long seconds pass, he sees something begin to rise from the pool, his breath hitches in fear. "W-What..?"

He begins to panic, still trying to move. From the pool of blood a large wolf-like creature rises. It snarls and looks around, growling as it spots the helpless boy. It stalks towards him, closer and closer. He can smell the foul stench of blood it gives off, gagging slightly.

The creature snarls and reaches a claw towards Izuku, so close to his throat. He clenches his eyes shut, hoping, praying that it's just a dream. It's just a bad dream. As the claw touches his throat he hears a grunt and sees something was thrown at the beast. He flinches when he hears it roar loudly, in pain. His eyes widen when he sees it's covered in flames. "T-Todoroki?" He croaks, his throat dry. He watches the large wolf sink back into the pool of blood. A sigh of relief.

The relief is short lived, as he starts to relax he sees a white hand appear from under the table. Reaching over and grabbing onto his pant leg, pulling itself up. It crawls towards him, he gasps as he feels another one, on his chest. Then another, and another. He's left staring at the ceiling, stuck in place. Strangely, he somehow feels calm.

They smother him, dragging him into that never ending darkness. Before his mind goes blank, he hears a soft voice.

"Ah, I see you've found yourselves a hunter."

 **-HotN-**

Bakugo hated a lot of things, right now those white creatures are at the top of his list.

The last thing he had seen before losing consciousness was some kind of strange bird. There was nothing but darkness in his vision, and a cold floor. Until a large bird approached him, muttering incomprehensible things to him. He had felt a sharp pain, then everything disappeared.

What came next was awful, burning pain throughout his body, especially on his chest where that creep had used his quirk. He could only remember screams, whether they were his own or some monster's he couldn't tell. He clawed at his throat, wanting the pain to stop. It was unbearable, like his body was tearing itself apart.

Then it stopped, it was sudden. The burning sensation was there, then gone in a blink of an eye. He had felt something shift, he wasn't sure what it was but he felt...different.

As his mind tried to wrap around what had happened he saw them, those creatures. The same damn things that brought him here, things that wouldn't fucking die!

He tries to struggle against them, as they crawl all over him; but finds he can't move. He was frozen in place, paralyzed.

He yells as he tries to struggle, they drag him away to a darker place. A place he didn't want to go to, the endless darkness.

Before he blacked out he heard a strange, yet soothing voice. It seemed surprised as well.

"Oh my, you've found yourselves another hunter..."

 **-HotN-**

Shoto Todoroki was not one to lose his cool so easily, especially in high stress situations. This was an exception, and he didn't like it.

He had felt himself falling, then pain after his body slammed into the hard stone ground. At least he thought it was stone.

He heard a faint voice, full of concern and worry. He felt them shake him, then roll him over. He had tried to sit up, only to find he was too weak. Too tired, his body felt like dead weight.

While he had tried to will his body to move he felt a sharp pinch, he gasped in surprise and pain. After a moment everything had gone quiet, before a burning sensation takes over his body. He grunts and grits his teeth, biting down on the screams he's learned to silence

He clenches his teeth and starts to shake, it starts to become too much; causing him to let out a choked scream. As soon as he let the world know what pain he was in, those white creatures appeared again. Moaning and clinging onto him, climbing all over him. He yells as he tries to swat them away, despite the heaviness of his body. He can't escape, still trying to get away. To escape the hands of those creatures, escape the darkness.

No matter how much he tries to get away, they hang on tight. Dragging him away, further and further into the endless void that was the unknown. As he's pulled deeper he starts to fight less, a strange calm washing over him; despite the creatures smothering him.

His eyes grow heavy. After a moment he finally lets the tension go, letting himself be dragged away.

Before he loses consciousness he hears a soft voice, carrying surprise and a hint of amusement.

"Oh, dear. I see have found yourselves yet another hunter."

 **-HotN-**

Izuku groans as he slowly sits up, his head pounding. He looks around with slightly blurry vision, trying to look for that wolf thing from earlier.

He peers over the bed he's on, not seeing any trace of the wolf. He continues to look around, seeing shelves with books, glass jars, small needles, and various tools. He tilts his head and swings his legs over, then pushes himself off of the bed. He stands on wobbly legs, using the bed as support.

"What is this place?" He asks aloud, receiving no answer. He wasn't expecting one anyway. The silence he's met with carrie an eerie feel.

He shakily walks over to the shelves, seeing bubbles float around in the jars with strange liquids. It looks clear, with a slight tinge of yellow. He reaches for a few books, skimming through the pages. He finds they're all medical books, but they all focus on blood, and the healing properties. There are a few writings on the sides of pages, chicken scratch.

He puts the book down, confused, but continuing his search. He sees a piece of paper on a chair on top of a set of clean clothes. Curious, he picks it up.

"Seek a Paleblood to transcend the hunt?" Izuku reads aloud, tilting his head in confusion. "What on earth is a Paleblood? Does it maybe mean bloodtype? Or maybe it's a disease in the blood? But why would they have to transcend the hunt? What hunt?" He looks at the clothes. "Are these for me?" He picks up the shirt and looks it over, it looks like it'll fit him.

The boy mutters to himself as he changes into the clothes. Strangely a perfect fit, he doesn't notice a figure watching him from a set of closed doors.

"Or maybe-" He's suddenly snapped out of his thought when he hears a loud growl, and a sickening crunch, followed by a few squelching noises. Shivers are sent down his spine as he finishes changing, neatly folding his clothes back on to the chair. He walks towards the doors where the sounds are coming from, he opens the doors, flinching a bit at the creak.

He looks around, scanning the room to see if he missed anything. Once he makes sure he got everything he makes his way down the stairs, trying to make his footsteps as quiet as possible. When he finally makes his way down he's in an open area, up ahead he sees another open area. From where he stands he can make out the shapes of beds and IV drips, as well as a few more shelves carrying only God knows what.

He walks forward, peering around one of the large pillars. He gasps with what he sees, it was that wolf creature devouring a corpse. From the coppery smell and how there wasn't the smell of rot in the room...it was a fresh kill.

Izuku thoughts went dark as he realized that that was the person who probably saved him. The man who set the wolf on fire.

He then forces himselfto focus on something else, not liking that sickening guilt. As he begins to look around he mentally groans to himself as he notices the next area of the building...was behind the wolf. He looks around, not seeing any other way out. No windows, no side doors, just beds and old ineffective hospital equipment.

He looks around, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. "I can probably get a head start on that thing, it seems pretty focused on eating. It might have a slow reaction time, being disturbed from it's meal. And with it being a wolf it'll probably have to use lunging attacks, getting up close and personal." He puts his hand on his chin, starting his muttering. "Maybe I can lure it upstairs and trap it in that room, if things go wrong I still have One For All. But that means getting close, and considering how torn up that body is it probably has powerful jaws." As he continues his muttering he shifts from foot to foot.

While he keeps trying to think of a plan he begins to pace, but stays in the safety of cover the pillar offers. He tries to keep quiet, not draw the attention of the wolf. Until he accidentally knocks over one of the IV drips. A panicked yelp escaped him as he tries to keep it from falling, only to fall with the rusty equipment.

Izuku scrambles to try and get up, mentally scolding himself for being such a klutz. As he starts to get to his feet he feels a huff of hot breath on his face. His eyes widen as he stares into the piercing yellows eyes of the bloodthirsty beast, sharp teeth dripping with still warm blood.

He swears the beast chuckles as it rushes forward to tear him to pieces.

In a panic Izuku quickly activates One For All, having it surge throughout his body. He pulls his fist back as the beasts jaws reach for his throat.

"SMASH!!!!" He screams, punching the muzzle of the wolf.

He had expected the thing to go flying, to give him time to run. Instead he watches as the wolf falls over, about five feet away. There was a small gust of wind, no trace of the great force he wields, even with just 5% of One For All. He looks at his fist, no injury. Just a slight sting.

He looks up in horror as the wolf's eyes turn red, roaring in anger. Izuku screams in response, dashing for the exit. While he runs he throws IV drips and broken beds to help block the way. He flinches at the loud crashing noises, the monster breaking through it all far too easily.

"Why didn't One For All work! What happened!" He screams, asking the universe, asking himeself. It's like his quirk was weak, no effect. He can only think of the trouble Todoroki and Bakugo could be in if they have the same problem, there are no weapons to use.

Izuku runs into the door, hurriedly pushing on them, grunting from the effort. "Why are these doors so heavy!" He yells, panic coursing through his system. He hears the monster rushing towards him, he yelps as he falls over, the doors finally yielding to him. He saw the wolf jump over him, it had expected him to stay on his feet.

He quickly rolls back, getting a small distance away from it. He watches it rush towards him, he braces himself. He had no one to save him, and even if One For All didn't do the damage he expected, or wanted it to do, he could still fight. That last punch had done a little damage.

Closer, closer. He had to find Todoroki and Kacchan.

It lept towards him.

And he can't do that when he's dead.

He tries to send the power of One For All surging through his body, only to feel empty. Like there's nothing, it's all gone.

His mind races at the fear of his quirk being gone, after he had just started getting used to it, but...why? Why?!

He still swings his fist, out of both fear an the initial shock.

The wolf growls and staggers back. It growls and shakes his head, irriated that it's next meal is so defiant.

Izuku dashes past the beast, towards a large gate. Looking around he sees grave stones, chained up coffins, and barren trees. The sky is a mix of beautiful reds and oranges, a few clouds in the sky. It's bright, like a sunset.

He would have adored the beauty if he wasn't in danger. He throws himself against the metal gate, yelling as he pushes against it with all his might. The gates slowly open, creaking loudly. As they slowly open he hears the roar of the enraged monster. He turns around to see the wolf jumping at him, he can't dodge to either side, graves and coffins are in the way. He does the next best thing and tries to go in the defensive, he rolls forward and hears a loud clang.

The wolf crashed into the gate, somehow even angrier it gets up and turns around, rushing at him one more time.

Faster then Izuku can register, sharp teeth sink into his shoulder, biting down and tearing through muscle, ligaments, tendons.

He screams in pain as the beast bites down even harder, he hears the crunch of bone.

"LET ME GO!!" He screams, pulling back his fist. There it is, he feels it again, One For All, he screams as he smashes the snout of the creature. It slams to the ground, but takes Izuku's left arm with it.

He didn't know that this much pain could exist, hell he didn't know he could scream so loud either. Yeah he's broken his body with his quirk and Kacchan has beaten the shit out of him but...it never hurt THIS much.

He staggers back from the wolf, feeling a sob escape his throat. He puts a hand to the bleeding stump where his arm used to be, feeling the hot, crimson liquid oozing out from between his fingers.

He looks to see the monster getting up slowly, crunching on his arm. He pants as he runs past the dazed wolf, throwing himself against the gates. He pushes against them until they finally open, and by the time the wolf gets up and realizes he's gone, he's already hiding behind an large, abandoned carriage. It has clearly seen better days.

He whimpers as he watches the large, black wolf creature look outside the gates. It sniffs the air, trying to find the prey that escaped it's jaws of death. He shudders as it growls and walks back into that damned place. Izuku waits untl he's sure it's gone, before letting his body relax. He leans against the carriage and grits his teeth, tears pour down his face. He tries his best to stay quiet, not knowing what could be waiting for him next.

He looks at where his arm used to be, it still hurts like hell- begging him to pass out. He shakes his head, clearing his swimming vision.

"No...I can't pass out. If I stay here that thing might come back...o-or I could bleed out...get an infection..." He goes quiet, thinking of everything that could kill him. He suddenly slams his head against the carriage. "Stop it, you can't get lost in thought...not here." He tells himself, standing up straight.

He takes a takes breath and blinks the tears from his eyes.

' _Alright, gotta find-_ '

His thoughts were cut off when an axe was buried into his chest as soon as he went around the carriage.

Another scream of pain, and a mouthful of blood. He rips himself from the blade and stumbles back. He looks down at his new wound, excruciating pain all over his body.

"It's all your fault!" The wielder of the axe yells. Izuku looks up, his vision blurry with more tears and pain.

A grown man, he looks sickly with was looks like ashy skin and unkempt hair. His eyes are crazed, yellow and collapsed pupils, His clothes are messy as well, with a dark overcoat with blood staining the ends, his shirt has splattered blood, Izuku's blood.

"W-What? What are-" he coughs up more blood as his legs give out. His body begging him to give up and rest. He mentally screams at his legs to get up, to support him and carry him out of this place.

Meanwhile he screams out loud as the man swing the axe into his back, forcing him to the ground. He swears he feels part of his spine shatter with the force the axe was swung.

He coughs up more blood, his entire body aches. He feels the axe pulled out of his back, he takes the chance and tries to scramble away, using his remeaining arm to drag himself away.

"Gotta..gotta get-AGH!!" The axe his buried into his back again, now he can't move. He feels his body starting to go cold, as the man hacks away at his back.

His mind is swimming, everything is blurring together. His eyes grow heavy, his body feels like it's fading away.

' _No...I can't...die..._ '

 **-HotN-**

Katsuki wasn't sure what to expect when he woke up, but he sure as hell wasn't expecting some lady dressed like a bird to greet him.

He had woke up in a cold sweat, after he heard that voice everything had gone dark and suddenly he was thrust back into the waking world. He had been laying down next to a few barrels and boxes. At the other side was a person, watching him.

"Ah, you're awake." She had a weird accent.

"Who the hell are you!" He jumped to his feet, setting off small explosions in his palms.

Imagine his surprise when he realized his explosions were super tiny, smaller than he wanted them to be.

"What the fuck?!" He yells, trying to make them bigger. He rushes up to the woman in irritation. "What did you do to me!" He yells in her face, pointing at his palm that now couldn't produce any explosions, small tendrils of smoke appear from his pathetic attempt.

"What are you talking about young man? And I would greatly appreciate it if you kept your voice down. There are beasts around here, and I have no intention to fight them at the moment."

"You know what I'm-" He's suddenly cut off when she covers his mouth with a gloved hand, he sees the ends of the fingers appear to be sharpened.

"Calm down." She demands in a low voice, her tone demanding respect and showing her authority, her power.

He growls as she removes her hand. "Now, please. Explain."

He grits his teeth and points at his hand. "I can't use my quirk, I make explosions lady."

She looks at him, her expression unseen. "What on earth is a quirk?" She asks.

"IT'S A-" He stops, remembering their small deal, lower tone and answers given. "It's basically a power. I make explosions, the half-and-half bastard with and red and white hair use ice and fire; and that stupid Deku had some kind of super strength."

She puts a hand on her chin, a finger tapping against the mask. "Hmm, if he already known what it is it can't be a side effect of the blood...and if it's weakened..." she goes quiet and then chuckles softly.

"What's so funny you old hag!"

"I have a small theory as to what happened to your...quirk." She seemed hesitant about the word, like she's never heard of it.

"Would you mind telling me?" He growls, scowling at her chuckle. What was so funny?

"You see, a short while ago I had to give you a blood transfusion. This city, Yharnam, practices blood healing. It's miraculous, instant results, usually positive. But, with the transfusion I connected you to this world, to the dream. The blood you see, can give great power the power of a Hunter, but...it seems to have weakened your natural power." She says, staring off into the distance as she speaks.

"...Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?" He growls.

"Hm?"

"What the fuck does you giving me a transfusion have to do with anything! And instant healing? With blood? If you share blood with others you get so many fucking diseases, what the fuck!"

"You don't believe me?" She asks. Recieving a growl in response.

She sighs softly and turns to him, she pulls up the sleeve of her garb, exposing pale skin. She then pulls out a silver blade, it looks like it's made with two blades stuck together. His eyes widen when he sees her make a deep gash in her arm, blood spilling.

"What the fuck lady why would you do something like that! What the fuck!" The boy rushes forward, about to make an attempt to stop the bleeding until she puts up a hand to stop him.

He watches as she pulls out a syringe full of red liquid, the stabs herself in the leg, injecting whatever was inside into her body. He watches in surprise as the wound she inflicted upon herself started to close up. To heal.

"No fucking way..."

"That's how I healed you young man, that wound on your chest was rather nasty. Only the gods know what you had gotten caught up in."

"Healed me..." He gasps, suddenly remembering what that creep had done to him. He quickly pulled up his shirt to check his wound- there was no trace of it.

"What the fuck..."

"Yes, I healed you. But you seem to have missed the part about you now being connected to this nightmare of a city."

"What?" He narrows his eyes, scowling. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean...you are now a Hunter."

"What does..."

"Young man, you now have the ability to dream. And you now have the responsibility to fight off the beasts of the night...and try to avoid becoming one yourself."

"Why the fuck would you do that to me you old hag!" He yells, pissed off.

"I couldn't just let a child die, now could I?"

He's about to retort with something before stopping, processing what she said, then remembering what happened. The decay, the portal...hell she could have just left him to die. He supposes he owes some kind of gratitude to her.

He sighs. "My name is Katsuki Bakugo." He looks at her, refusing to bow to her, not showing any manners.

"Onto proper introductions now are we?" She asks, a quiet laugh. "My name is Eileen the Crow, Hunter of Hunters."

Katsuki stopped, staring at her; only to suddenly jump back and try to use his quirk again, yet again with the tiny explosions. They only lasted a short while until he couldn't activate it again.

"You're a Hunter of Hunters! Doesn't that mean you'd hunt me since I'm some kind of hunter now thanks to you lady!" He yells.

Eileen shakes her head. "My goodness, such energy you have. And such an accusatory attitude. I'm not going to hurt you, I hunt the hunters that have strayed off their path. Those that have become beasts in a man's body."

He watches her for a moment before going back to his normal stance. He stares at her, before letting out an angry huff. He walks up to the railing and looks around, only seeing the walls of buildings and a small bridge on the other side, across the way. He looks around the area they're in, seeing a small doorway and seeing wodden scaffolding. He walks over to the pathway and looks around, he looks up when he sees yet another doorway, but it's elevated. It's practically in the middle of the wall.

"You're running off now?" Eileen asks.

"Huh?"

"Are you off to hunt now little hunter? Even though you lack any weapons to defend yourself?"

"I can take care of myself! I still have my quirk, I'm sure I can kill some stuff with it." He huffs as he walks off.

She sighs as she hears the boy's loud footsteps, and the dragging of a barrel.

After a few seconds she hears a triumphant chuckle, then the loud footsteps. He's heading outside, she can see him on that bridge, she knows what is ahead.

"Three...two..." She trails off.

"Oh what the fuck!"

Theres the sound of small explosions.

"Aw shit! You've got to be-GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME YOU DAMN DOG!!"

Theres a whimper and the sound of more barking, she sees him running back, but he doesn't go to her area. She sighs. "Foolish young man."

"OH FUCK!" Theres the sound of yelling and roars, along with barking and snarls.

Everything goes quiet after a moment, when she sees the dogs walking over the bridge she gives a small chuckle.

"Say hello to the little doll for me, would you?"

 **-HotN-**

He groans as he opens his eyes, his body aching.

He sits up, slowly looking around when he hears the sound of a bell tolling- a clocktower.

"O-Oh! You're awake!"

Shoto was startled by the voice, jumping to his feet and backing up. He looks around until he sees someone low to the ground, dressed in a raggedy red robe. His face is wrinkled, and an ashy gray tone. The...creature? Person? Looks harmless, his milky white eyes are stare in his direction but not directly at him.

"Who are you?" He asks, staying wary of the character.

The man smiles, timid. "I am the Chapel Dweller, I watch over this place. A safe haven for those who seek shelter from the beasts of the hunt." He says, clasping his hands together. He seems scared of the teenager.

Shoto looks over the man for a moment before sighing. He sits down in front of him. "My name is Shoto Todoroki. Can you please tell me where I am? What happened and how I got here?"

The man nods.

"You fell from the sky, from a dark portal. Or rather, what I assume was. I just felt this heavy, negative energy. I smelled blood on you, a horrible wound. In order to save you I gave you a transfusion, which in turn caused you pain. I'm sorry for that, especially now since...you have been connected to the dream. A hunter, you are now. The new hunter of Yharnam."

Shoto watches the blind man, biting his lip. "What?"

The man wrings his bony hands, seeming nervous. He begins to explain, hunters, the Healing Church, blood that heals, and the monsters.

"I don't appreciate that you had connected me to this dream without my permission, and essentially giving me this new responsibility. But I appreciate you saving my life, thank you."

The Dweller nods with a smile, then looks up as he hears footsteps walking away. "You're leaving?" He asks.

"Yes, you say with what I am now...a hunter right?" A nod. "I have to fight these beasts and find a way home."

Shoto pushes on the closed set of doors, only to find they won't open. "What..."

"Ah, trying to go into Central Yharnam? I'm afraid those doors only open from the other side. You can only go that way." The Dweller points at the the two openings, one straight ahead and the other off to the side on the left. He's been here long enough to know his place so well.

"What about thoes other doors, they're closed as well."

"Hm? Oh, those. They were sealed such a long time ago, I'm not sure it's possible to open them."

"I see."

Shoto walks over to the archway over on the left side. Looking out, there he sees two tall figure. They're both dressed in white-grayish clothing, both have lanterns, and walking sticks. Their faces look like white masks, permanantly stuck in a grim frown.

"Please be careful." The Dweller says softly as he hears the boy walk out.

Shoto watches one of the figures walk around the well, it looks around and goes towards a pathway that goes straight ahead. The other one is a few ways behind it's friend, walking at a more slower pace.

Shoto watches the second one walk in what looks like the same pattern, he waits for the walker to go down the same path. Right as it looks like it's about to walk down that path it stops, walks walks over back to the well. It sits there, facing in the direction of the way it came.

Shoto steps out into the open, he checks his surroundings. There are many gravestones, some of them are crooked, leaning in various directions. Many of them were clumped together, a makeshift graveyard.

There was a small well in the center of the courtyard, leaves are scattered here and there.

On one side of said courtyard are a set of stairs that ascend to a lsightly higher part of the street. From where he stands he sees a giant walking down the street. It's similar to the smaller counter part, raggedy, torn clothes with faint bloodstains. It has a large bell around it's neck, but the most concerning part of this monster was the giant axe it carried.

"I can probably immobilize it, then burn it." He mutters before looking at the next pathway.

Another set of stairs that instead goes downwards to a small platform. There he sees the first walker is staring off into the distance, a railing protecting him from a fall.

Shoto keeps looking round, his eyes fall upon the church he had emerged from. He couldn't deny the gothic beauty it had, with it's tall and imposing structure of stone. The reassurance of a sturdy fortress, with a great height and beautiful glass windows to let in what ever light there is. Tall spires connected to it that reached for the sky. It truly did seem like a safe haven in this treacherous place.

He sighs as he jumps over the railing of the stairs and begins to sneak behind the graves, staying out of sight of the walker. He watches it look around, searching for any trace of life.

"Is that thing even really a threat?" He asks himself, it doesn't look very threatening. It hasn't shown any kind of agressive behavior.

He looks at his hands then sighs.

He keep an eye on the tall figure, creeping away from him, very slowly.

He keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure the one he snuck passed wouldn't follow him. He then looked forward, watching the one now in front of him.

He tries to keep his footsteps quiet, still not finding a reason to disturb these creatures. Especially if they don't seem to do him any kind of harm.

He takes his way across the platform, being met with another set of steep, downward cobblestone stairs. He goes down them without question, still looking around.

The railings are metal, with pointed tops, conecting the sets of railings that block off access to the houses are tall stone collumns that hold up birdlike creatures.

He then averts his gaze forward, seeing a small fire, two people stand around the makeshift bonefire. One has a large pitchfork, and the other has a small meat cleaver. There's another one walking around, dragging an axe behind him in one hand and a torch in the other. Following the man was a white dog, matted fur and dead eyes. Some of the white fur has red clumps and stains stuck in it.

Alarm bells rang off in his mind, something didn't seem right about them. He couldn't see any way to sneak by. He has to head straight through, he looks around the area for anything tat he sould keep track of.

It seems that they're guarding a small church, from where he stands he can tell there's nothing inside. Just a large tomb. Off to the left side it appeared there was more to the area. To the right it was a dead end, large, barren trees and a stone wall. It looks like theres some kind of altar on top of the wall, confirming his suspicions of there being more of this small chapel.

He looks at his hands, testing his quirk. A tiny fire appears in his palms, and a small amount of ice covers his hand. He frowns, something feels wrong. His power seems...weak, its not responding the way he expected it to. His ice should have covered his entire arm, and his fire should he a blazing pillar reaching up all the way to his shoulder.

He looks up in surprise when barking his heard, the dog noticed him. The barking catches the attention of the three men, the one with the axe stands there for a moment before yelling and running over, his axe raised high.

The dog races past him and jumped towards Shoto, who instictively threw his right hand in front of him. The dog growls and bites down on his hand, only to suddenly have a chunk of ice burst from it's skull. He hears a whimper and the dog falls to the ground.

"It's all your fault!" The man screams, trying to burn Shoto. "Away! Away!"

He had tried to freeze the torch, only to be met with the burning pain of the fire.

"AGH!' He yells, jumping back. Then he threw his left arm forward, a small stream of flame coming from his arm to burn the man.

He flinches at the scream of the man, seeing him back away and dropping his weapons. He watches the man flail around, in pain until he suddenly goes stiff; then falls into a heap of limbs.

After both the man and the dog died he felt something, some kind of power flow into him. It felt strange, and disturbing. Like a small taste of what it could offer, a small part of him wanted more.

While Shoto was processing this, one of the men standing by the fire stabbed him in the stomach area with the pitchfork. He yells in pain and tries to back away, only to be forced to the ground with a meat cleaver to his chest.

He tries to use his ice or fire to defend himelf, only to find he can't. He can't feel the power of his quirk, emptiness.

"W-What the-" He screams as the man with the meat cleaver brings down his weapon again. This time he cut into Shoto's shoulder, yelling about it being his fault all the while hacking away at him.

He continues to fight against them, trying again and again to find that energy of the quirk. Getting more and more frustrated and weaker with each attempt.

It isn't until his final attempt that weak flames erupt from his left side, setting both of the men ablaze.

The flames were immediately snuffed out after a few seconds, his quirk fading out again. He listens to their screams as they try to put out the fire, screaming and begging for the pain to stop. After a moment the screams cut off, and there are two hard thuds.

Shoto stares up into the crimson and orange sky, watching the clouds bunch up, then spread out across the sky. Like a dance in the sky, then they move on to swirling around, decorating the sky with their dreary gray designs.

He can't bring himself to pull out the pitchfork that keeps him bound to the ground. He tries to move his arm to the pitchfork, only able to make a strained fist.

"Get...up...get u-up..." He tells himself, still hanging onto life. He shakes his head, trying to clear his swimming vision. The grays, reds, and oranges of the sky all start to swirl together, creating a messy canvas he can't make sense of.

He tries to find distinct shapes or figures from the sky, not noticing the footsteps coming toward him, louder and louder. It wasn't until someone had blocked the view of the sky that his mind had snapped back into reality.

Above him was one of this figures from earlier, dressed in gray with the walking sticks and lanterns. Before he has a chance to even try to use his quirk, the creature growls pointing down to him.

Then impales Shoto with the sharpened walking stick.

He chokes on blood that rises from his throat, watching the creature walk away with angry eyes. He swore it had smiled before pulling the weapon out of his chest, blood spilling everywhere.

As it walks away his vision begins to go dark.

It's a special kind of terror, feeling yourself slowly dying. That special kind of helplessness where you can't do anything to save yourself, but wish you had a second chance.

"N-No!" He slams his fist down, using up the last bit of his strength. "I-I can't die...I..." He coughs up more blood, feeling lightheaded.

As his vision goes dark, he feels the poer he gained drain away.

 **-HotN-**

In a calmer place, where white flowers bloom and melancholy gravestones loom over the small inhabitants of the dream. Currently sitting next to two unconscious individuals, is a beautiful figure. With a cold hand she brushes the hair away from one of the boy's face. She knows he can't feel it, none of them will be able to see or hear her until the veil of ignorance leaves them. Until they gain at least a single piece of painful enlightenment.

She sighs and stands up, as she's about to walk away she feels a shift in the dream. Another visitor.

She turns around to see a third boy, she walks over. Checking him over, red and white hair, a red scar on his left side. She can't tell how he died. Seeing as all of his wounds have healed upon arriving to the dream.

After a moment she smiles. "The three good hunters..." She stands up once again and goes over to her usual spot to sit down and doze off.

She can't help but chuckle when she sees one of the boys suddenly sit up in a panic.

"What the...where..." he gasps. He looks around for a moment, captured by the calmness of the dream. Until he notices two sleeping boys.

"Kacchan! Todoroki!" He yells.

She watches the green haired boy try to shake his companions awake, surprised when one of them punches him in the face.

"Shut...up! Stupid Deku!" The blonde one growls, yawning after a moment. He looks around. "Wait a sec, didn't I die.?"

He looks at the green-nette in pain on the ground, holding his jaw where he was punched, then to the new arrival. He furrows his brow and scowls.

"And I've gone to hell."

 **-HotN-**

 **Wooooow damn that was long, lke 7K words.**

 **Welp, now Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki have gotten a small taste of Yharnam. Not even scratching the surface, and arriving to the dream on bad terms with the world they are now trapped in.**

 **I'm sorry if this seems rushed, I wanted to update at least two times this week since I might not be able to next week due to testing.**

 **EEeeeeeehh either way enough of my babbering**

 **Have a nice day/night everybody!**


	3. Cahpter 3: A New Arsenal To the Bridge

**Chapter 3: A New Aresenal** / **To the Bridge**

Katsuki growls as he stands up. "What the hell is this place!" He looks around the calm and serene landscape. Seeing nothing but flowers, graves, and some kind of building.

"Wait a minute, Kacchan you said you died?" Izuku asks, standing up. His jaw didn't hurt anymore, surprisingly.

"Yeah! I did! I was attacked by some dogs and then by some tall monster with a saw and torch or some shit!" He yells, still looking around. There was a small pathway made of stone, more bushes full of white flowers and shit. He chooses not to pay attention to the towering pillars in the distance, deciding they're not important.

"So did I...I was-"

"I don't give a fuck Deku!"

Izuku watches Katsuki pant for a moment, still upset. He was surprised when his childhood friend was suddenly calm. "So where the hell are we?"

Strange, but, Izuku couldn't help but feel calm as well. This place seemed to have that effect on people, taking away any feelings of distress.

They both hear a groan and look at the source, Shoto was waking up.

"Well, sleeping beauty is finally awake." Katsuki huffs, walking over to one of the gravestones. There are many lined up with it, and they all lead towards the building in an upward hill. He kneels down and touches the grave, confused there's no labeling.

"Todoroki! You're awake. How are you feeling?" Izuku asks, going over to his friend.

"Ugh...Izuku? Where...Where are we?" He asks, rubbing his head and looking around.

"Uh...I'm not really-"

"What the fuck!" Katsuki suddenly yells.

The two look up to see an alarmed Katsuki, who had stumbled back from the headstone he was inspecting. The white creatures had appeared at the base of the grave, unrolling some kind of blue paper with writing on it.

The other two tense when they see the small, terrifying creatures. They all feel unsettled, which passes quickly due to the strange power of the place they're in.

It takes a moment for Katsuki to relax and creep closer, looking at what was written.

"A holy chalice is required for a ritual..." He reads aloud. They all think it over for a moment, digesting the words.

"What the hell does that mean?" The angry blonde asks, looking at the other two as if they had answers.

Izuku hesitantly shrugs and Shoto is still out of focus, processing what had happened before he arrived.

The white creatures shrink away from the yelling, seeming afraid. They roll up the paper and go back from whence they came.

"Come back here you little bastards! What does that mean!" He waits for the creatures to appear, yelling louder when they don't reappear.

Izuku sighs as he helps Shoto up, looking around.

"Thank you Midoriya." Shoto says, patting Izuku's shoulder to let him know he could stand on his own. His head finally clearing up, giving him the ability to look around and take in his surroundings.

Izuku nods and lets him go, letting him be. After making sure Shoto is okay, he begins to explore the new location. He looks around to see more graves, lining up with a set of stairs what lead to the building. Next to the first headstone he sees three of the white creatures, waving their arms around. They look up when they see Izuku pass, moaning and waving, as if to say hello.

As Izuku walks up the stairs he sees the creatures waving at him, he can't help but wave back. They seemed...nicer? Nicer than the ones he met before, they ones that dragged him under and smothered him. He also can't help but smile when he sees them smile...or at least he thinks they do. In all honesty its hard to tell.

Shoto watches Izuku hesitantly react to the creatures, and Katsuki scream at the headstone for those things to come back. He watches the two for a moment before turning around, seeing a small path he could take. And take it he does, looking around the peaceful area. He takes note of the tall pillars in the distance, seeing them what looks like everywhere as he walks around. As he walks a few more of the creatures appear at his feet, carrying the scrolls. He ignores them, not sure how to feel about them yet, still unsettled by them.

He walks past a closed gate, and then stops. He walks back to the gate, and looks around, trying to peer inside past the bars. All he sees is a large field covered in white flowers. He tries to open it, finding it's locked. He keeps looking at the small gate, trying to think of a way to get over it.

While he ponders using his ice to make a pillar or just climbing the fence, Izuku walks up to the doors of the wooden building. He isn't sure if its a church or something, feeling a bit confused. He tries to open the doors, a bit confused and disappointed to see they're sealed shut.

As he keeps trying to find a way to open them more of he creatures appear at his feet. He looks down and yelps, falling over. He had noticed he was stepping on one.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry, are you okay I didn't mean to!" The boy stood up and bowed repeatedly, feeling it was only right. These things, he sensed something from them. Some kind of personality, some kind of feelings, a human consciousness.

The one he had been stepping on tilted it's head and seemed to shrug, sinking into the ground and then coming back up with a rolled up parchment in it's hands. He kneels down and watches the message unfold.

' _We, the Messengers, offer you new hunters gifts._ '

"Gifts?" Izuku asks, tilting his head. He's about to question it when the... _messenger_ , leaves and more come back. Near the foot of the stairs a few of them appear, holdings weapons. Then more appear higher on the stairs, carrying what looks like firearms. Another few appear near the door, carrying small books.

Izuku looks at all of the messengers and then decides to head to the first set, kneeling down. Upon closer inspection he sees that they are indeed holding weapons. They offer what looks like an axe, some kind of saw, and a cane.

"Todoroki! Kacchan! Come here, look what the messengers have!" He calls for them.

"WHAT!" Katsuki yells, standing up and stomping over.

Shoto looks up, trying to use his quirk to only find he couldn't. That same empty feeling he felt from before makes itself known. He looks to the gate, then sighs; walking over to where Izuku had called him from.

"What is it Deku? What's so important?" Katsuki growls at the boy, checking over him. "And what's with the stupid get-up?"

"O-Oh! I uh...someone left these clothes out for me where I woke up. And these white things, they're called Messengers. They're offering us what looks like weapons and-"

"Move over!" The blonde shoves the green-nette off to the side and looks at the Messengers. "Give me the strongest one you've got!" He demands.

They all cower away from him, the ones holding the axe reach up to hand it to him. They shrink back to the ground, scared of him. Then Katsuki goes over to the next set, the one that offer guns. They already know what he wants, reaching up to give him the pistol.

He grins and snatches it from them, looking over the gun. He then weighs the axe in his hand, it's a little heavy. While he heads over to the next set of Messengers, they hold up three notebooks, and he takes one in confusion; the other two look at the remaining Messengers.

"You go ahead Midoriya." Shoto says, smiling at the nod he receives from the boy.

He watches Izuku look over the two remaining weapons, the saw and the cane. He hears him ask questions about the weapons, he sees that they let him hold the saw. As he inspects it he sees a small trigger and presses it, extending the saw into a large cleaver, with a saw blade. A Saw Cleaver. He watches the nerd inspect the weapon, seeing how the gears in his mind work. The usefulness, what advantages and disadvantages it offers. He then moves on to the next few Messengers.

Finally Shoto walks over to the creatures. "I'll take the cane." He says simply, as it was the only weapon left. They nod and hand him the weapon, then leave him alone. He then walks over to the other Messengers. Watching Izuku take the one gun left, a bulky, long weapon. It looks light from the way Izuku holds it. He looks over to Shoto and then down to the Messengers that have disappeared. "Oh, there's none left. I'm sorry Todoroki uh...here. I'm sure I can manage without a firearm, I don't really see why we might need one."

"O-Oh...Midoriya you don't have to-"

They hear moaning coming from the Messengers that had just disappeared, they had reappeared with another gun. A pistol, exactly like the one Katsuki chose.

"Oh, they found another one." Izuku says as Shoto takes the firearm. Bowing his head in thanks. They leave, the only ones left are the ones by the door.

Katsuki still stands by the reamaining Messengers, looking through the notebook and finding it to be blank. "Do these things expect us to take notes or something? What the hell?"

The other two teens take the last two notebooks, seeing the creatures sink back into the ground.

"Okay...so..." Shoto looks through the notebook and finds nothing. They're all empty, save for a small writing pen hidden within the pages.

Izuku hums and thinks, he finds the pen and takes it.

' _It might be useful to write what's happened down. That way we can retrace our steps if we need to._ ' Izuku thinks as he begins to write down a few things.

"Really Deku? You're already writing? My god." Katsuki groans, stomping past him. He stops when he sees the Messengers reappear, holding up a few clothes.

"What? You want me to put those on? Those look like what stupid Deku is wearing." He growls.

The Messengers insist he wear them, reaching towards him with the clothing.

"I ain't fucking wearing that!"

Another set appear next to Shoto, offering the same clothes.

"Are those for me?" He asks. Sighing when the Messengers nod. He looks over to Midoriya, seeing he was wearing what was basically the exact same thing. He couldn't help but notice how nice it looked on the boy, nor could he help but notice how his brow furrowed whenever he paused his writing. As if he was looking for the right words to use, wanting to get it right. He couldn't help the smile when his faced relaxed and is writing began flowing again, how quick the pen went.

"Alright, let me see them."

"I told you I am not-"

"Huh, seems like a nice clothing set." Katsuki looks up when he hears Shoto speak up, seeing him pull the white, longsleeved undershirt. Then the striped, dark red over shirt. Watching him pull the small cape over his shoulder and connect the clasps. He forces himself to look away when he takes off his pants, then pulling on the black slacks, the the nice shoes. He glances over at the finished product, seeing how nice he looks in what honestly seems like more of a formal set. He's so used to the school uniform and the occsional plain clothes...he never thought how nice someone else could look in such formal wear.

Hell he couldn't really deny that Deku didn't _that_ bad in them. If it looked good on even Deku, hell even Half n' Half it would look damn good on him.

"...Fine give me the damn clothes."

 **-HotN-**

The three spent the next few minutes or so testing out their weapons, swinging them and feeling the weight they bear. They all tried to use their quirks with the weapons, only to find they couldn't. It seems that this pace not only took away negative feelings, but also quirks.

Shoto had been surprised when he found out the cane could be turned into a whip. He would swing it around, striking the railing and then quickly transforming it back into the cane. He found the cane did a good amount of blunt damage, and it would hurt when swing with great force. He found this out by accidentally smacking Izuku with the cane while he was testing the moveset he could use.

There was a quick apology and then back to practice.

Katsuki took great pleasure in the strength of the axe. Swinging it around and practically _feeling_ the ground tremble from where he would bring it down. He was even happier with the realization that the axe could be extended, giving greater range. He begins to imagine what kind of carnage he could cause with this weapon. He then goes on to practice switching between the extended and short form of the axe.

Izuku practiced in the slightly more open area near the small bath. He decides to practice with the closed version, not pressing the trigger. He makes slashing movements, adjusting to the weapon and what fighting style it offers. He then presses the trigger, hearing that satisfying clicking noise. He can't help but marvel at it, swtiching the weapon between the full and closed form. The click, click click. After finally sating his desire to hear the strangely satisfying click, he practiced with the full form. Satisified with the range, he still knew he would have to get up close and personal, but not as close as he would need to be with his quirk.

The three continue practicing, each of them testing their guns. Katsuki and Shoto found the pistol to be very useful, a single shot that seemed like it would be a foreceful impact. Out of malice Katsuki shot at Deku, seeming satisfied with the impact it leaves. In turn Shoto ended up shooting the blonde, a strange feeling of satisfaction.

After Izuku recovered from being shot, he had tested the blunderbuss. Pressing the trigger and seeing what looked like multiple bullets fired off, but only one was really used. After another test shot he concluded that the firearm he chose would be best for staggering any hostile creatures.

All three preferred the true form of their weapons, and the range they offered.

"Alright, now that we got to test our shit out. How do we get out of here?" The blonde asks as he walks over to the graves, looking them over.

"I have no idea...do we have to jump over the railing?" Shoto looks over.

"No, I don't- hm?"

Izuku stops mid-sentence to look over at the first grave at the stairs. The Messengers were waving their arms around with more energy, beckoning the three over to them. The three look at each other before hesitantly walking over.

"What do you want?" Katsuki asks, looking a bit surprised when they unroll yet another piece of parchment. "More reading!!"

The explosive teen growls in anger as he reads over the words.

' _While on your journey you will come across small lamps. These lamps allow you to transport to different locations to and from the Dream. When you come across a lamp snap your fingers to light it, and you will be able to use it then._ '

"Lamps?" Izuku asks aloud, thinking, he didn't see any lamps while he was in that place.

"Apparently." Shoto says, thinking back. Now that he actually thought about it he did see a small lamp in the chapel, he hadn't thought twice about it other than as a strange decoration. Thinking it was there to satisfy some kind of aesthetic.

"Okay, great. But I'm pretty sure none of you fuckmunches lit a lamp or even knew how to because I sure as hell didn't!" Katsuki yells.

Both Messengers and Izuku flinch at the yelling, not particularly pleased at the loudness. But both are still rather forgiving. Shoto doesn't really care, keeping an impassive expression on.

The green nerd hums and thinks, seeing the parchment disappear. He looked at the other graves and noticed none of them had Messengers at their bases. He looks back to the first grave, making a small connection between the situations. He suddenly reaches a hand forward, in front of the grave.

He closes his eyes and an image appears in his mind, he sees and familiar place. Where he had woken up, where that wolf was, where he was torn apart. He concentrated harder and found it had a name. The 1st Floor Sickroom. He tried to search for any other location, only to find there was nothing else.

"What are you doing Midoriya?" Shoto asks, surprised when he sees his friend disappearing before his eyes.

"What the! What did Deku do!" Katsuki yells. He looks around, looking for the boy. After a moment he sees Shoto try to do the same thing, closing his eyes and trying to find a place to go.

Katsuki watches Shoto, then tries on his own. Reaching a hand forward and pushing through a fog. After a moment he sees it, the Sickroom. He swears he sees Deku there, waiting for them. He growls and wills himself to leave, into the unknown.

Both of the boys disappear from the Dream, leaving the plan of existence tranquil and silent. Only to be disturbed when the three hunters are to return.

 **-HotN-**

"Huh, it actually worked!" Izuku says, looking around. He sees a lamp before him. At the base of the lamp are four Messengers, seeming to pray at the illuminated lantern. Two rusty, golden bells are at the top, with the cage below it. A lit candle that gives off a calming purple glow.

He continues to stand there, waiting for the other two. Starting to think he should have explained his connection with the other two.

"I'm sure they'll figure it out, Kacchan and Todoroki are smart. And the Messengers can probably help them." He mutters to himself as he peers into the next area. Met with the familiar sight of the makeshift hospital. He shivers as he hears the same crunching and squelching noises from before.

Something in him bite at him, a feeling of anger. Of bitterness. He feels... _angry_ at the wolf, angry that it had injured him, taken his arm.

He sighs and shakes his head, chalking it up to nerves. Calming himself, that angry feeling leaving him as quickly as it came.

He keeps watch of the area until he hears a thump and a string of swear words.

"Ugh, damn that's dizzying." Katsuki mutters.

Shoto looks around. "And, what exactly is this place?" He asks, walking around. He sees a set of stairs and closed doors.

"Oh! You guys made it..."

Katsuki growls and walks up to him, grabbing him by his collar and slightly lifting him up. "Son of a bitch how the hell did you think of that! And why didn't you tell us! Did you intend to leave us there!"

"G-GAh! Kacchan no! I just...I wasn't sure it would work and if it didn't I didn't want you to get hurt and-" He stops when he hears a growl.

Shoto looks up, his hands twitching. He noticed he didn't feel empty anymore, his quirk was there.

"What was that?" Shoto asks, walking over to the doorway that leads to the wider area.

"The thing that tore off my arm." Izuku sighs, yelping when he's dropped. He quickly gets back up and peers around the doors. "Sounds like it's still eating."

"Eating?" Shoto asks, looking around the clinic. He takes note of some of the splattered blood on the walls, it's not obvious to those who take a passing glance. It looks like someone put up a fight.

"What are you going on about Deku?" Katsuki growls, following the nerd as he creeps over the the large pillar. Watching him peer around the thing, they do the same and both of the boys raise their eyebrows.

"That's a big fucking dog."

"It's more like a black wolf if anything."

"Shut up Half n' Half."

"Will both of you shut up? That thing-oh god it noticed us." Izuku says, paling when he sees it turn towards him.

"No use in hiding then." Katsuki chuckles, jumping out from behind the pillar; keeping his weapons sheathed.

Shoto's right hand twitches, until he remembers what happened last time...they can't rely on their quirks.

"Bakugo! Get your axe!" He yells as the wolf launches itself at Katsuki.

"DIE!" He yells, putting his right hand in front of him to launch off his explosions. Tiny explosions come from his palm, not fazing the wolf. It bites down on his arm, hard.

"Fuck!" Katsuki tries to grab his axe, when he hears a crunch of bone. He then instead reaches for the gun.

"Get off of him!" Izuku yells as he puts the saw cleaver into it's full form and swings it at the wolf.

The cleaver cuts into the wolf easily, he sees it stagger back and let go of Katsuki's hand. It growls and aims for the boy, only to be distracted by a whip to the face.

As it growls at Shoto who's about to bring the whip down again, the wolf is suddenly decapitated. It's head goes flying as the body falls into a heap of limbs. Blood spraying everywhere.

The two look over to Katsuki, holding the axe in a badly damaged hand. His right arm trembling.

"Son of a bitch..." the blonde mutters, inspecting his arm.

"Kacchan..." Izuku stops when he feels something flow into him, some kind of energy. The other two feel it as well, as weak as it is.

"Shut up Deku!" He walks past the body and into the next area, the small room before the open already open doors of the clinic. As he's about to head up the stairs he stops, looking off to the side he sees some kind of glow on a dead body. Curious he walks over.

"So you woke up here, then ran past the wolf and...Bakugo what are you doing?" Shoto stops as he was talking with Izuku, who was trying to wipe some of the blood off of his clothes.

"No way, are these what that old hag used?" Katsuki mutters, holding six blood vials in his hands.

Shoto walks over, seeing the blood vials. He then remembers the brief history lesson given to him by the Chapel Dweller.

"Is that healing blood?"

"I think so...and how the hell do you know about that?"

"The person who gave me a blood transfusion told me about the blood. And a few other things but, I couldn't really process it. It didn't make much sense." He mutters, taking four of the vials.

"What the fuck! Get your own vials!" Katsuki yells, trying to grab the vials back.

"We only have these and we have no idea what will be waiting for us ahead. We need to split these up." Shoto says as he walks over to Izuku.

Izuku had stoppped trying to get the blood off, accepting that he would just have to deal with it. Even if it got off of his clothes it would stain his hands. He looks up when Shoto walks over and hands him two vials filled with red liquid.

"What is this for?" He asks, pocketing them.

"Blood vials, they'll heal you. At least I think they are." Shoto answers.

"Blood...that heals?" Izuku asks, seeming a it skeptical, then thinking back to the books he had skimmed though before getting torn apart. It had mentioned the healing properties of blood found in some place. He hadn't been able to catch the name.

"Watch and learn Deku." Katsuki says as he loads a syringe with the blood, then stabs himself in the leg with said syringe. As he had seen Eileen do.

The two watch his right arm repair itself. Muscle and skin stitching back together seamlessly and painlessy.

Izuku sighs. "That would have been handy earlier." He mutters.

"No shit." Shoto adds under his breath.

Katsuki pockets the last vial and they head out of the clinic, looking around. It looked the same as Izuku last saw it. Crooked graves, chained up coffins, barren trees. As they are about to walk to the gate, Shoto sees something shining in the corner of his eye. He stops and looks at it, the glow coming from a grave.

He finds 10 bullets, and they split them up. After a game of rock paper scissors and a few death threats, Katsuki gets the left over bullet. They figured if these things are just lying around, blood vials and bullets, it'd be fairly easy to stock up.

They then walk through the gate, met with the stench of rot and decay. They all gag and look to the source, a decaying horse. The ribcage exposed, showing flies and maggots writhing around in the corpse.

"What the..."

Katsuki cringes at the stench, then notices yet another glow. He runs over and gets another two blood vials, he decides to take them both. Much to the disapproval of Shoto and Izuku.

They walk past the carriage connected to the the dead horse, then as they're about to pass the next carriage across from a closed metal gate; Izuku stops them.

"Hold on, there's a-" He stops when he sees the man with the axe, his eyes glowing a bright purple. He doesn't know where the feeling came from, the sudden pull he had.

Before either of the two can ask him why he stopped them he dashes off. They watch as he rushes toward the man with the glowing eyes and cut him down with a few brutal swipes from his cleaver.

"Deku what the hell!" Katsuki yells as he runs over, growling as he hears a hum and feels that energy flow into him. It's only happened twice now, but it was a bit irritating and he had no idea what it was.

The three see a small red orb of energy come from the body of the man, and flow into the shocked Izuku's body. The other two boys see two even smaller orbs head towards them. Their bodies absorbing it, all of them feeling a small amount power add to their bodies. Save for Izuku who had suddenly gotten lightheaded from how much he had taken in.

"What the hell is that! Why did fucking Deku get that big ass orb! Share them asshole!" Katsuki yells, waking up two other humanoid creatures, similar to the one Izuku just killed. Except they carry small meat cleavers, and they don't wear overcoats.

"I have no idea what that's supposed to be Kacchan!" He says, waving his hands around, trying to clam down the boy that walks towards him.

Shoto stops Katsuki by grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "Easy, I think it's a natural occurence here." He says, looking at the blonde in his crimson eyes. "When I killed two creatures I felt that same power flow into me. I think with what happened to us, our bodies gained the ability to take in this energy when we cut down the creatures here. And...I feel we may have had some initially.

Katsuki's eye twitched and he growls. "I'd like some REAL answers asshole. Not 'I think's'."

"I'm sure we all would Kacchan, but maybe if we keep moving forward someone might have some answers." Izuku says, not liking the tension in the air. It sits heavy between the dual-haired boy and the tempermental blonde.

They sit there for a moment, watching each other and listening to the sounds of the city. The occasional bell toll, the sound of fire crackling, and the distant moan and cries of the residents of the city.

"Fine." Katsuki growls, taking his arm away from Shoto. He looks at Izuku, startling the boy. "And Deku."

"Y-Yeah?"

The green haired boy flinches when Katsuki shot his gun at him. He hadn't been aiming for the nerd, instead he shot one of the men in the face.

Izuku turns around and jumps back, avoiding a cleaver. There were two of them, wearing straw hats and old, sweaty clothes.

"It's all your fault!" The one that got shot yells as he runs towards the three boys, only to gain a slash across the face from Shoto's whip. He staggers back while his friend tries to cut up Katsuki, who dodges to the side and yells as he raises his arm and brings it down upon the citizen's chest, hearing a yell.

Izuku rushes past Katsuki who is aided by a slightly clumsy whip that would come too close sometimes.

"Watch it half n' half!" Katsuki yells as he strikes down the man, hearing the hum and feeling that power flow into him. He looks up as he hears the other one go down by the blade of Izuku, who seems a bit worried and guilty.

In Izuku's mind, he knows that these people woudn't hesitate to kill him. They certainly didn't the first time, but what if there was a way to reason with them?

He hadn't realized he was muttering until Katsuki flicked his forehead.

"If they would be reasoned with they wouldn't have attacked us. Sane people don't try to kill people at first sight stupid Deku." Katsuki growls as he walks past him, walking over to the closed gate. "Now how the hell are we supposed to open this?" He asks.

Izuku looks at the dead bodies and thinks over what his childhood friend says, trying to make peace with the fact he's killing people. They are people right? Maybe they aren't people anymore, but they kind of look like they're starting to turn into monsters.

Shoto sighs and stands next to Izuku. "I hate to think that there's more like these ahead but..."

"There probably is." They watch Katsuki try to climb the gates, only to fall over. As if pushed by some kind of invisible force. "What do you think happened? Did that person tell you anything about that?" Izuku asks Shoto, holding back a chuckle when he sees Kacchan try again.

"Uh, well." Shoto scratches his face. "He probably did but, for some reason it all just seems fuzzy. It was kind of hard to catch, from what I was able to get all I could get was blood, and church." He looks at Izuku apologetically.

"Blood and chruch...the blood makes sense. But what doesn't is-"

"Hey! Are you just going to stand there and be useless or are you going to help me!" Katsuki yells, he keeps looking around to see if there was any way to open it. Then he spots a lever off to the side on the other side. "God dammit."

"What is it?" Izuku walks over and looks around, spotting the lever. "Oh."

Shoto walks over and looks around as well. Seeing the lever, then he looks around. "If it's on that side, then there has to be a way around." He reasons, looking around for something that could give them some kind of access.

Katsuki is about to try to climb the gate again until Izuku stops him.

"Kacchan wait! Look." He pulls his friend down and points upward, a ladder connected a platform high above.

Shoto looks up and sees it, he looks around and walks forward, Past the upright carriage and the chained up coffins. He goes to where the base of the ladder would be. It's high up, but there's another lever off to the left side.

As Shoto goes to pull it, Katsuki stands by where the ladder should land. He watches the lever stay in place before going back to it's previous position. The two teens look up and see the ladder slowly lower, hitting the ground with a metallic thump.

While they were watching the ladder Izuku had walked past them, a bit concerned when he saw some kind of glow coming from behind a few boxes. He steps over a box tied up in ropes to find a few bottles with cloths tied at the lip of the bottle. A total of six.

He frowns as he looks around on his clothes. "Where am I supposed to put these?" He asks himself. It wasn't like he had super pockets or something.

He's about to call the other two over when a few Messengers appear. He looks down at them and sees them holding up three satchels, he kneels down and takes one. He opens it up and raises an eyebrow, the inside looked infinite. A seemingly impossible situation.

He then looks up and calls the other two over, telling them about yet another gift the Messengers have for them. Katsuki grumpily walks over, having been ready to climb the ladder. Shoto walks over in curiosity, not knowing what else the Messengers could possibly give. Because it sure as hell wasn't going to be answers.

Izuku hands them the bags, and all three find it easier to carry what they had. Ableit not having much other than like two blood vials and now two bottles of fire.

Izuku and Shoto had thanked the Messengers while the blonde muttered a 'whatever' before heading back to the ladder.

After Katsuki begins to climb, Izuku follows, then Shoto.

As they climb Izuku takes the opportunity to look over his shoulder and take in the sight. He's in awe with how massive it really feels, and how high up they really are. It looks like the city was built upon itself, buildings stacked upon each other once they ran out of room. How there were large mounains in the disance, probably marking the limits of the city. He takes note of the giant bridge in the distance, seeing how it connects to what looks like a larger area.

As they near the top a loud screech echoes and resounds thorughout the city. The three freeze and look around, all of their attention diverting to the bridge. It stops after a minute, but the fading echoes of the scream leave shivers running up and down their spines.

"What the fuck was that!" Katsuki yells, looking around. Even though it sounded like it came from the bridge he can't see anything that would be large enough to produce a cry like that.

The other two don't answer, waiting to hear if there was going to be another screech. Seconds ticked by, all three clinging onto that ladder. When they hear nothing else, other than the sound of a distant chime of a clocktower they continue to climb.

Katsuki makes it o the top first and runs over to something, confusing the still climbing Izuku and Shoto.

"We got a lamp." He chuckles. He looks at it for a moment, trying to remember what those things had said to be in order to light one. Just snap your fingers right?

The other two watch as the boy puts his hand near the cage of the lantern, and snaps his fingers. A hum is heard as the candle is lit and four Messengers appear, seeming to pray to the light of the lamp.

"Why do they do that? It's not like the lantern is something special, god they're so weird." Katsuki mutters as he nudges one with his foot, it didn't seem bothered.

"Maybe here, lamps ike this are sacred? Something to be praised?" Shoto things aloud, watching the creatures moan softly and keep their hands clasped together. They all bow their heads before staring up into the lantern.

"Whatever, come on. Let's find a way to-" Katsuki is cut off when a loud cough is heard. They all look up, seeing a lit window off to the side, in front of yet another set of closed gates.

The all look at each other before walking up to the window, Izuku hesitantly reaching between the bars and knocking on the window. Once the small tap is heard, the coughing ceases for a moment, settling down. The sound of someone shifting is heard, and it wasn't long before they felt someone was watching them.

"Oh, you three must be hunters. And...not from around here either. I'm Gilbert, a fellow outsider. You must have had a fine time of it, Yharnam has a special way of treating guests." A tired, worn out voice spoke.

Katsuki snorts. "A fine time."

There was a quiet hum, then, "Well, I don't think I could stand if I wanted to...But I'm willing to help, if there's anything that can be done." His sentence then devolves into a series of wheezing coughs that sounded painful.

They all watch the window for a moment, one of them is about to knock again until Gilbert speaks up again.

"This town is cursed. Whatever your reasons might be, you should plan a swift exit. Whatever can be gained from this place, it will do more harm than good..." He goes into a series of coughs once again, leaving the children in a state of confusion.

"Sounds like outsiders might be common if he knows how well they're treated...and he's one himself." Shoto says, listening to the man cough.

"Doesn't sound like this place is too fond of guests either. Special way indeed, what assholes." Katsuki growls.

"It honestly looks like they're probably closed off from the world, and if anyone were to find this place it might be hard. Those mountains in the distance might heavily cut them off from the outside world." Izuku says, looking at the others. "And it seems like he's been here a while so..." He goes quiet before knocking on the window again.

"Er, Mr. Gilbert?" Izuku asks, making Katsuki face palm, such a timid and polite nerd, it's kind of irritating. "You've been here a while right? So, do you know what a Paleblood is?" He asks.

"Please young man, just Gilbert." The man says, going quiet for a moment. "Paleblood you say? Hmm...Never heard of it."

Izuku sighs, rubbing his eyes. So much for that.

"But if it's blood you're interested in, you should try the Healing Church. The church controls all knowledge on blood ministration, and all varieties of blood."

They all look up.

"And where can we find this 'Healing Church'?" Shoto asks.

"Across the valley to the East of Yharnam lies to town of the Healing Church, known as the Cathedral Ward. And deep within the Cathedral Ward is the old grand cathedral...the birthplace of the Healing Church's special blood, or so they say." He begins to cough again.

"Son of a bitch don't die on us man!" Katsuki yells.

"Kacchan be nice!"

"Shut up Deku!"

There was a chuckle. "Yharnamites don't share much with outsiders. Normally they wouldn't let you near the place, but...The hunt is on tonight. This might be your chance..." He goes back to coughing, his body seeming to reject whatever ,ight be wrong with him.

"So you know nothing about what a Paleblood is?"

"The old main cathedral, it's said to be the source of blood. I haven't heard of Paleblood but...that's your best bet if it has anything to do with unique types of blood..." Glbert says, an unspoken apology in those words. He didn't know more.

They all sigh before walking away from the window, and back to the lamp.

"Well that gave us nothing." Katsuki mutters, crossing his arms.

Izuku shakes his head. "No Kacchan! We have an idea where to go! We have to find the Cathedral Ward, and there we can find our answers."

"Well how the hell are we supposed to get there?"

"The bridge." Shoto says, making the other two look at him. "That bridge seems to connect something of a larger area to this place. And I wasn't sure if I actually saw it, but I think I saw a gate the the end of the bridge. We might be able to open it, I think there might be a back way as well." He thinks.

"A back way? Why would you think that?" Izuku asks.

"I woke up there, and there was a set of doors I couldn't open. They opened from the other side, and a dweller there said we had to come from Central Yharnam, which I assume is this place." He answers, going to where the ladder is, and looking out across the valley. The bridge is in sight, above it all. Towering over the other buildings that lie far, far beneath it.

They all walk over to look at the bridge, and collectively think about how the hell they were going to get there.

"So...to the bridge?" Izuku asks, turning to the others.

They nod. "To the bridge."

 **-HotN-**

 **Aaaaaayyyeee I was able to update this week, yay!** **And on the day before my test...(this is a stress reliever tbh)**

 **Ooooohhh Good lordy this was a long one!** **Another 7k words, whew!**

 **I originally wanted to end it off with them coming up upon the Cleric Beast, but it was getting a bit too long for that.**

 **And also to explain a few things, since a friend who reads this asks and I said I'd answer them here.**

 **The reason they can't really remember what they read/or were told about Yharnam, and the blood by whom they were told is because they lack Insight and they can't properly process what's being said. As Insight is inhuman knowledge, I had felt it would make sense that they couldn't make sense of what was said and would end up fading fom their mind. Plus it's no fun if they already have the answers.**

 **And then I was asked why Izuku had that bout of aggression at the lycanthrope and huntsman. To which I answered, "Wouldn't you be pissed at the things that essentially killed you five minutes after you woke up? And then there are the blood echoes that he unconsciously wants/needs. And that one guy had em, so yeah."**

 **So there ya go dude, and anybody who might have had similar questions about that...so yee** **eeaah**

 **In other news I'm thinking of starting a little One-Shot series for My Hero Academia. Is that something you guys would like to see?**

 **Welp, enough of my blabbering. Have a nice day/night everybody!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Cleric Beast

**Chapter 4: The Cleric Beast**

The three collect themselves and look past the lantern, seeing another pathway past the small house. The three walk down a small path, littered with more chained up coffins and wooden boxes filled with small sacks.

"What's with all these coffins?" Katsuki mutters as he looks over them. He then walks past them to the railing, getting a view of what's below. "Woah...holy shit."

"What is it?" Izuku asks, then looks at the site. "Oh..."

The three are met with the sight of chaos. Pyres burning with malformed creatures attached to the stakes. There are many scattered items they see, random bottles, leaves, firewood. Even tiny little fires that can be put out with a simple stomp of a foot. There are a few people wandering on the cobblestone streets, very similar to those that attacked them first. Clearly regular citizens of Yharnam.

"I have a feeling my ice would come in handy here, but.." Shoto mutters, looking at his hand. Seeing a small amount of ice cover his hand.

"But what Half n' Half?" Katsuki mutters.

"All of our quirks are weak..." Izuku mutters, sighing as he lets One For All course through his body. He tries to hold it, to force it to stay with it. Only to feel deflated afterwards.

"Great, now you guys are even more useless, especially you Deku."

Izuku looks away, back to the chaos. He mutters something under his breath, which was only caught by Shoto who snickers softly.

"What was that Deku?" Katsuki growls.

"N-Nothing! Just, for now we have to rely on these." He looks at his weapons. "Maybe we can find something that can get our quirks back to normal further on." He says, looking at his irritated friend.

"Tch." Katsuki rolls his eyes and walks forward, brandishing his axe. "Whatever, lets just get to the damn-FUCK!"

A man came crashing through a few boxes to attack Katsuki, cutting up his back before being smacked down with an axe. The other watch in surprise as his wounds had minorly healed themselves after he struck the man down, even more so when he finished him off.

A theory forms in Izuku's mind, he tells himself he'll test it later.

"Are you alright Bakugo?" Shoto asks.

"Shut up I'm fine!"

Izuku walks over to the railing and finds a hole, a way to drop down. He sees yet another man at the bottom, staring at a well as something else burns off to the side.

The other two begin to walk down the pathway they had been going initially, wary and a bit paranoid; when Izuku braces himself. He looks up when he hears a bit of yelling. Didn't sound like Katsuki or Shoto.

He sighs as he then jumps down.

"Did fucking Deku run off!" He hears a voice yell.

Izuku falls on top of boxes, getting the attention of the man.

"You are not wanted here!" He runs at Izuku who dodges to the side and puts the cleaver into it's full form.

"It's not like we want to be here." He says as he attacks the man, one strike across the chest. Blood spattered, another strike, this time upwards. Then he brings the cleaver down again, the arm of the man goes flying. After a moment of screaming, the man falls over, dead.

Izuku kneels down, seeing a glow coming from the body. He takes the source and finds two blood vials. He sighs and pockets them, they all can split them later. As he's looks around, smiling when he finds another two bottles he hears yelling.

"Son of a bitch! Get over here so I can kill you!"

"Dammit!"

He looks up and sees a small set of stairs, leading to the main street. He hurriedly runs over onto the main street, following the sound of yelling. He runs forward a bit, past a flamig pyre and another carriage.

He's met with the site of Katsuki pinned to a wall with a pitchfork, and Shoto holding off three of the men with his whip.

"Get off of me!" Katsuki yells as he extends his axe and manages to stab the man in the chest, getting him to fall over.

Shoto falls over and rolls out of the way, an axe threatening to behead him. He then turns the whip back into the cane, smacking one of them across the face before transforming it into the whip again.

Izuku runs over. "Kacchan!" He grabs the pitchfork and pulls it out. He's about to help him up when he ends up getting a punch to the face, he tumbles back and receives an cleaver to the back of the head.

"Midoriya! Bakugo what the hell!"

Stupid ass Deku ran off! Fucker deserved it!"

Izuku groans and gets to his knees, he shakily sets up a syringe and stabs himself in the leg.

He felt a rush of something hot through him, feeling it course throughout his entire body. He feels the damage from the cleaver heal, the wounds closing. He heard another yell and spun aound to impale the man who was going to strike him again.

He sees Shoto shoot one of the men and strike him down, when another one gets to close. Before Shoto can raise his whip, he drops it and thrusts his right hand forward. A thin, yet long spear of ice appears from his hand, impaling the man. He watches the man go limp, letting him fall to the ground.

Katsuki curses again as he finishes off the man who had impaled him. After he makes sure he's head he takes something from the man's coat and walks over to the lever. "Deku where the fuck were you!" He yells as the gate slowly creaks open. A new shortcut.

"I found a place to drop down from, and I found some more of those bottles."

"You ditched us for these things!" Katsuki yells, pulling out one of the bottles and throwing it at Izuku.

Izuku yells in pain as he's hit with flames, he quickly puts the flame out.

"Oh, that's what they do." Katsuki says, grinning after a moment.

"Midoriya are you alright?" Shoto asks, walking over. He tries to summon his ice, only to feel that emptiness. He mentally curses himself.

As the boy assures his friend he's fine, Katsuki is about to walk past them he stops. He looks over to an alley and steps forward. "Hey." He chuckles. "How much of that energy do you think that guy has?" He asks the other two, pointing at a hulking brute that walks up and down the alleyway. Letting out a growl every other step.

"I think it's better if we leave it be." Shoto says, eyeing the large axe.

"That thing is probably slow, given it's size. And from the way it holds the axe it'll expect most attacks from the front." Izuku says, watching the creature, making a few more quick observations.

"So just get behind it and kill it" Katasuki laughs. "Sounds easy enough."

Shoto sighs in exasperation. "Shouldn't be too bad."

It was bad

After they had charged the creature, with one wide swipe of the axe they were all sent flying. Their blood went spraying, deep chest wounds and a possible concussion for Shoto and Katsuki. When they had begun to recover the brute ran at them surprisingly fast, about to bring down the axe on Katsuki who rolls out of the way.

"Son of a bitch!" He raises his gun and fires, paling when the bullet essentially bounces off. It only irriates it even more.

"Oh fuck." Before he was able to react, Katsuki was sent flying. This time he stayed down, his viatlity gone. After a moment his body begins to fade away.

Izuku yells as he dodges the axe rolling over to Shoto and pulling him to his feet. "Get up! Get up! Gah! Get down!" Izuku quickly pulls him to the ground when the axe had threatened to behead them. After they roll away they make the unspoken agreement to flee as they're chased by a roaring monster.

"Fucking Bakugo! He's going to get us killed!" Shoto yells, getting his whip ready as they see more of the crazed Yharnamite citizens.

"I'm sure Kacchan had-"

"He bit off more than he can chew!" Shoto and Izuku dodge to the side, narrowly missing the axe that took out several of the men.

Izuku sees an opportunity and pulling his fist back. He huffs as he sends One For All surging through his body.

"SMASH!!" He yells, driving his fist into the hard armor of the brute. It staggers back a bit, now even angrier.

"Dammit Midoriya."

"Sorry!"

They both dodge the sweep of the axe, and Shoto kills a resting gunman hiding behind the carriage. After quickly grabbing five bullets both of them run up a set of stairs. It was too narrow for the creature to follow, they watch it stare for a moment. It turns around and stalks off, probably to go back to it's alleyway. They sigh and lean against a wall, there was a small area with benches and another glowing item but they didn't care about that at the moment.

"That went well." Shoto mutters.

Izuku nods.

As the two gather themselves and stand up they hear a familiar voice yell.

"Oh! You're back again you bastard? Well I-FUCK!" There's a loud crash and a yell.

There's more yelling and crashing, before a hum and the sound of running is heard.

The two see Katsuki run past the stairs, the large brute stops at the carriage and growls as it turns around and stomps away. The running stops.

"Oh fuck."

The two stand up and look to where they heard their friend, looking ahead and they stop.

"My god."

"So many people." Izuku mutters.

"Deku! Half n' Half! Where the fuck are you!" Katsuki yells, they see a group of four heading towards the axe weilding teen.

"Up here!"

Katsuki lets out a 'tch' and puts himself in a stance, they watch him stay there until a small hum is heard and the axe gains a white glow at the edge. After a moment he spins around twice, sending the four flying.

Izuku raises an eyebrow, that was a move that the giant had used.

"Bakugo. Get up here." Shoto says, seeing the young man gather the dropped items.

"Shut up." He says as he heads up the stairs that Izuku pointed out.

"How the hell are we going to get past all those fuckers?" Katsuki mutters as he sees Izuku ponder the same thing. He swears he sees a plan forming in the nerd's head.

Meawhile Shoto had gone to investigate the glow, only to be surpised by another man and quickly killing him. He picks up two blood vials and the item he had been reaching for. "A...shard...of blood?" Shoto questions, staring at the crystallized substance.

"I have an idea!" Izuku suddenly says, surprsing the two.

"About time Deku." Katsuki mutters. "Now spill it."

Shoto walks over after stuffing the shard into his bag.

"Well, from the looks of it there's a way to go up there. The main gate on the road is closed and it looks like the pathway we're on leads to a dead end. But those guys are all over the place, and they become aggressive the minute they see us. One of us goes up here, that should be Todoroki. He's quick and he can probably draw a few towards him and easily control them. Kacchan you go down the middle, they-"

"Are you trying to get me killed Deku!" Katsuki yells, cutting him off and grabbing him by his collar. "I've died twice now and let me tell you, it ain't fun!"

"N-No! Kacchan! You have the axe, and that gives you good range and that spinning attack it uh..." Izuku's voice fades as his friend's glare get more and more intense.

Shoto sees what Izuku was getting at. "You do crowd control." Shoto says, grabbing Katsuki's arm. Prompting him to let the nerd go. "You can easily deal with those guys down there, and from there I assume Midoriya would rush past and climb the stairs on the other side. Taking care of the wandering crowds. Am I right Midoriya?"

Izuku nods and steps away from Katsuki, brushing himself off.

Katsuki looks at them and looks at the crowd. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

He and Izuku head down the stairs and head down the road. Extending their weapons and hearing the satisfying clicks.

They hear a yell from above.

"Son of a-" Shoto cuts himself off as he quickly puts the man down.

"Are you alright Todoroki?" Izuku asks before the two charge.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" They see Shoto wave then run off off in his given direction.

"You better not get in my way Deku!" Katsuki yells as they run forward, gaining the attention of of a group of four.

Off on Shoto's side two men from the center run up the stairs to meet him.

Izuku ducks and runs forward as Katsuki spins the axe around and knocks down a few of the men. He rushes past the bright flames to the set of stairs, getting himself ready to face off with two men wielding a pitchfork and an axe. As he raises the cleaver he gets shot twice, once in the shoulder and again in the back.

Izuku grunts as he falls back, feeling the bullets lodged in his body. He rolls back to avoid getting shot in the front, and from receiving a pitchfork to the chest. He rushes past them and attacks the gun man.

The man yells and tries to shoot him point blank until he receives a slash across the chest, and another to his legs. He yells and falls over, a few bullets falling from his gun. Izuku grabs them as he rolls out of the of an axe. As he loads his blunderbuss a mangy, drooling dog barks as it runs at Izuku.

As it's about to tackle the boy down it's shot in the face and going flying, stunned. He looks up and sees Shoto with his pistol out, a dead body at his feet.

As Izuku is about to thank the dual haired boy he's snapped from his thoughts to dodge attacks from the other two men. He presses the trigger on his firearm and staggers the two men. With a subtle chuckle he runs over and brings the cleaver down on the shoulder of the pitchfork man. He pulls him over and shoves him in front of the axe man, letting him take the damage and then shoving him away at the man to stagger him.

The man stumbles back, his friend dead in his arms.

"It's all your fault!" He suddenly yells, swinging the axe around in rage.

As Izuku dodges and deals with a man, another two shots are heard.

"Motherfucker!" Katsuki is heard yelling, running past a pair of the mad townsmen and swinging the axe at the gunman. He decapitates the man quickly and watches the man fall over.

Two bullet holes were seen in Katsuki's chest, easily relieved by a blood vial.

He goes after another two men that charge at him, one of them was suddenly cut down by green haired boy. The other was quickly taken down with a bullet and an axe.

Katsuki glares at Izuku. "I didn't need your help Deku." He spat out the last word of the sentence, picking up the blood vials and bullets that were dropped. All three took a minute to gather items from their respective kills. A collection of blood vials, bullets, molotav cocktails, and small pebbles.

After they gather everything they stand in front of the large fire and stare at what was burning.

It looked like a larger version of the wolf they first met, hoisted onto the stake and being burned. It might be been burned alive form the looks of it.

"...well..."

"It seems that these guys aren't that big a fan of monsters either." Shoto mutters, staring into the glassy dead eyes of the creature.

"Ironic." Katsuki mutters as he walks off, towards a glow he sees in front of a set of large doors.

As he's about to grab the item there's a deep, loud yell and a banging noise. Causing the doors to shake, and threaten to break. He jumps back and watches the door.

There was another yell, and the creature on the other side bangs on the door again. Upon closer inspection, he sees the door hs been bolted shut. And from the force that's being applied, and how well the doors are holding up, they must be thick.

He quickly goes over and snatches the item, two blood vials. While he pockets them Shoto and Izuku head towards the only open way they have available to them. Up the stairs and though the archway. Up ahead there was another two blood vials, split between the two.

They look around when they hear the loud yell, and more banging of the doors. They hear Katsuki walk after them.

"Seriously what the fuck is that?" He growls, it was starting to get irritating.

Shoto walks forward a bit and looks to where the source is.

"That." Shoto looks at the other two and points to a large humanoid creature, a hunched back, and tattered clothing. The most noticable thing about him is the tattered black cape that hangs from his shoulders. It looks similar to the black overcoat worn by a few of the Yharnamite citizens...was he possibly one of them?

Izuku and Katsuki head down and look at the ogre, raising an eyebrow.

"Big, most likely low speed..." Izuku looks at the creature a bit longer and sees a large brick in his hand. "Close range attacks." He mutters, quick observations.

Katsuki huffs as he puts the axe into it's full form, slowly walking forward.

"This'll end well." Shoto mutters, loading his pistol.

Izuku sighs with a nod, getting ready to rush forward to help his friend.

Katsuki charges his attack. "DIE!" He yells as he spins around twice, making the ogre slam face first into the gate. As he's about to swing again the ogre yells and hits him in the face with the brick, he fell over, getting up again and dodging a series of quick attacks.

"Deku you said this thing was slow!" Katsuki yells as he dodges to the side, and Izuku swoops in and does un upward slash to the ogre's arm. Making him drop the brick.

"Apprently it's not!" Izuku says as the ogre clasps his fists together and tries to smash to boy into the ground.

As the ogre brings his fists down, Shoto fires off his pistol.

They all jump when they hear a strange noise in their heads, the creaure falling to his knees.

They stand there for a moment, trying to process what they had heard, what had happened.

Once the beast recovers he sends Izuku flying into the fountain, there was a yell of pain.

Shoto rushes forward with his whip and starts to cut up the beast, assissted by the axe wielder.

It takes a minute before the stubborn brute goes down, falling over in death. The two take the blood vials, and Katsuki goes over to see what items were by the closed gate.

"Are you alright Midoriya?" Shoto asks as he helps him out of the dried by fountain.

"Ugh, yeah." He uses a vial to heal his wounds. "Thanks Todoroki."

"A torch...and more blood vials. Jesus there's tons of this blood shit all over the damn place!" Katsuki yells.

"Blood ministration Kacchan. Blood ministration." Izuku reminds him.

"Where did these fuckers get it into their heads to inject foreign blood into them?" He asks, looking around some more. He goes over to investigate a few strange black lumps on the ground past the fountain.

"Ten bucks says it was an experiment and someone found out they could make a profit." Shoto chuckles, going over to look at a few wooden coffins. Back up the stairs, he felt like there was something off about them.

"Fifteen they were just being idiots." Katsuki mutters as he cuts down giant crows that surprised him.

Izuku sighs as he walks up a set of stairs across from the set they had initially come from. He took a look around, so many carriages, an ornate fountian that looks like it's seen better days. A few wagons carrying coffins stacked upon one another, all bound together with thick rope. Death was a common thing here, a plague? A mass murderer?

He quiets those thoughts, reminding himself that they can get answers they need from the Cathedral Ward. He goes over to a hidden corner, a glow catching his eye. He found a squishy, red lump of...blood? It's cold and damp. He raises an eyebrow in question, as he's about to put it in his bag he accidentally crushes it. A small burst of blood, and a small stream of power flowing into him and only him.

He stood there for a moment, questioning what just happened.

"Jars of oil?" Katsuki mutters, grabbing two from the wagon hidden by empty coffins. He smiles as he lets a small explosion loose from his other hand.

As Shoto starts moving coffins around a loud, shrieking laugh makes him stop. Everyone heard it.

"Uh...what?"

Izuku walks over hesitantly, readying his cleaver, Katsuki watches from where he stands.

Shoto looks at them before looking at a door with a lit lantern. He walks over, nothing jumping out at him.

He hesitantly knocks on the door, a bit surprised when the laughing suddenly stops. A woman speaks up.

"I don't reckon you're from round here...Well pffft, stuck outside on a night of the hunt. Ahh you poor, poor thing...hah hah hah!"

Shoto withdraws his hand, looking at Izuku; who walks forward.

"The hunt?" He asks.

Silence.

"What are you, an idiot? Do you not realize what the hunt is? Foolish boy, the hunt is when all the beasts of Yharnam come out to terrorize the city! You outsiders...ignorant fools." The woman snarls. There's a moment of silence before the unprompted laughing starts up again.

"Okay...so a fucking crazy lady." Katsuki mutters.

"From what she said...maybe these monsters are a regular occurence around here. If so...from the state of things, maybe it's been going on for a while." Izuku starts to mutter to himself, irritating the blonde and making the other boy go back to what he was doing.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow, seeing Shoto move the coffins around.

"I think I found something." Shoto moves the last coffin and reveals an opening in the railing, a way to drop down to the next area.

Cages litters area, a mangy white dog in each one. The two cages next to the elevated area have dogs in them, they look up to the teen and start to bark at them.

Katsuki narrows his eyes. "Wait a minute..." He jumps down, and walks over to the cage on a wagon. He growls, then kills the dog in the cage, a whimper heard.

"Kacchan! What was that for!" Izuku yells, jumping down.

"This is one of the damn dogs that killed me! It jumped out of the cage and chased after me! I think there was another one..."

"There!" Shoto jumps down and shoots a running dog. He finishes off the mut with two strikes from the serrated whip.

Izuku looks at the dogs, even they're monsters.

"Two broke out from their cages so..." He starts, killing one in another cage. "I guess just to be safe..."

They clear out the cages quickly, the dogs helpless and weak. They were clearly left to die, and die they did.

Katsuki growls as he runs off towards where he had initially died. The other two watch in confusion as he goes on a rampage, killing another two dogs.

He stops as he runs into another building, familiar. Boxes, barrels, sacks tied together and stored in larger boxes. He narrows his eyes, going over to the stairs.

A growling monster starts to walk out from wherever the hell it came from. Wielding a torch, and a large saw. It lets out a deep guttural growl once it seems him. It snarls and starts to run towards him, raising the saw above it's head.

Katsuki pulls out his pistol and shoots the beast mid attack, the saw had been inches from his face when the creature fell to it's knees as that sound rang out again. He wasn't sure what had come over him, it was like an instinct that wasn't his.

As if on autopilot he rushed to the beast and thrust his hand into his abdomen, he gripped it's innards and tore them out. The beast fell back, growling before finally going limp.

"That was for killing me asshole!" Katsuki yells. He stomps over and takes the blood vials.

Izuku and Shoto had seen it all happened, a bit concerned where that had come from. But that action had given them an answer, that noise. It seemed like an instinctive prompt to rip out the guts of the monster you stun. And it seems the opportunity is given when they time their shots right.

Or rather, that's what Izuku had been able to figure out just by watching the interaction.

Katsuki growls as he climbs the stairs, he looks over to a poorly hidden archway. He then looks at the other two.

"I'll be right back, you assholes go figure out a way to the damn bridge!" Katsuki says as he heads to the archway.

Izuku looks at Katsuki and the archway. "Kacchan w-wait! It could be dangerous and-"

"Shut up Deku!"

Izuku stops, then huffs. He looks at Shoto who nods and they head out of the building they just entered. Walking past cages to a split in the road. One goes under what appears to be the bridge, and another heads downwards to an open area where two of those ogre creatues holding bricks walk around.

They watch the monsters then look at the door.

"God I hope it's unlocked." Shoto says as they walk over to the door. "I really, _really_ don't like fighting with this." Shoto looks at the whip. "It doesn't do much damage, and it feels kind of slow." He mutters.

Izuku looks at him, then to the door. "Maybe we can find you another weapon." He reaches for the door handle. "If there's plenty of those blood vials and bullets lying around, I'm sure there are plenty of weapons too."

Shoto looks at him for a moment before sighing with a nod. "Right, you're- wait it's open?" Shoto had seemed surprised when Izuku had been able to open the door. Even Izuku looked surprised.

"For once we get an open door."

"Yeah..." They walk in, only to be attacked by a man with a saber.

There was a yell and a loud thump.

Izuku groans as he rubs the shoulder where he was stabbed, it hurt but not too bad. He could deal.

Shoto walks around the dark room, silently wishing he had the torch Katsuki took. He looks ahead to see a glow, it stands out brilliantly in the dark.

As Izuku checks out the other door, smiling when it opened. He goes onto check out the outside while Shoto goes to investigate.

He walks closer to the glow, then sees a limp man in a wheelchair. He raises an eyebrow, as he reaches a hand forward to check if he's alive the old man's head suddenly snaps up. He laughs and quickly brings up a large handgun to Shoto's face.

The man yells as he fires, missing when Shoto ducked to the side and quickly killed the man. He collected the bullets from the now dead man, and looked at what the glow was. Two white bottles with red stains all over them. They smell like blood, but not as coppery. It actually smells, he sniffs it again...sweet?

"Todoroki!" Izuku runs in, he seems excited. "Come here, look what I found!"

Shoto stands up, he walks over. "What is it?"

"I found a shortcut, come on!" He leads the dual-haired boy past a dead body, and to the now open gate right next to Gilbert's window.

Shoto looks around, then walks to the ladder to look at the bridge, then to the area around. He whistles, impressed.

"Everything is so interconnected..." He mutters. "It looks like the bridge is so high but..."

"It's just right here." Izuku says, staring at the carnage they left behind.

"We should finish checking out that storehouse. See what we can find in there." Shoto says, cringing as he hears another set of painful, wheezing coughs from Gilbert.

Izuku nods and starts to head back. "You think Kacchan is alright?" He asks.

"He'll be fine." Shoto sighs as they walk back.

 **-HotN-**

Katsuki huffs as he watches the other two walk away, making sure they're gone before he heads down to the rafters.

He lands on the creaky wood and starts to walk towards that area off to the side. Easy to miss if one is not attentive.

He walks past the wodden barrels and boxes until he's a few feet behind her.

"Hey lady." He greets, he raises an eyebrow when he hears a chuckle.

"Well, well. Look who's back. How has your hunt been so far young'n?" The woman asks, keeping her back turned towards the boy.

"A pain in the ass! I've died at least twice now!" He yells.

Eileen chuckles. "At least you have your dreams."

Katsuki looks at her and huffs, walking over next to her and looking in the direction she's staring at. Only seeing a wall.

"What's up with all these people here? They're fucking batshit crazy." He mutters.

"My, you have quite the mouth on you."

"I don't need to be reprimanded for something I get scolded for everyday." He mutters.

She hums in amusement, going quiet for a moment. "Did you ever find your friends?" She asks.

"Yeah, I found Icyhot and shitty Deku. They died too, then ended up in that dream place."

"I see...here. To welcome you, the new hunters." She hands him six pieces of thin papers with a strange mark on them.

"Huh?" He takes them. "What the hell are these for?" He asks.

"They help you reawaken. When you use one you go back to the last lamp you rested at. However this also causes all the beasts to reform, once again obstacles in you path." She answers. "Be sure to share them."

Katsuki mutters to himself as he shoves the marks in his bag. "You know you never answered the question about what's wrong with these people."

The woman looks at him, then back to the wall. She lets out a sigh.

"Young man, I recommend you and your friends prepare yourselves for the worst. There are no humans left. They're all flesh-hungry beasts, now." She waits for a moment, before looking back at him. "It was a number of things in all honesty. But the truth is hidden within it all, so we all blame the blood. That's the only link we really have."

"...But we use blood."

"We are sane people. And you haven't imbibed in the blood as much as these people have. I'd also like to think it takes a good head on your shoulders." She looks down.

Katsuki sighs and pushes some of his hair out of his face.

"What are you even doing here anyway?" He asks. "You said you're a hunter of hunters. Shouldn't you...you know...hunt?" He asks, genuinely curious.

"I'm currently gathering my strength. I'm going to make a dash to the Cathedral Ward, hopefully they're there." More questions.

"They?" Katsuki raises an eyebrow.

"I was keeping an eye on two old hunters. Gascoigne and Henryk, after getting into a small scuffle with a few beasts I lost them."

Katsuki crosses his arms and leans against the railing. "What exactly did they do that warrants a hunt on them?" He asks.

"Gascoigne is starting to lose himself...I'm afraid Henryk might do the same if Gascoigne falls. They may be old, but they're experienced, fast, powerful." She sighs quietly. "It wouldn't go well if they were able to wander around."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever, how likely am I to run into them?" He asks. "I'm sure I can take em."

Eileen shakes her head, staring ahead.

Katsuki looks at her. "So you're heading to the Cathedral Ward, are you going to go through the bridge? It that the fastest way through?"

Eileen looks at him. "No, too many beasts. The sewers are my best bet for running through quickly." She sighs.

He huffs, standing with her in silence before standing up straight, stretching. "Later lady." He says, a simple goodbye as he starts to walk away. No reason to stay around.

"Hold on young man, I have a favor to ask." She looks at him, seeing him stop.

"What is it lady, I've gotta go." He looks over his shoulder.

"Would you mind checking on someone for me? I've known Gascoigne and Henryk for quite some time, and Gascoigne has a family. There's a way to their home throught the sewers, up a ladder from a platform, behind an iron gate that can be opened by a lever." She turns to him. "I want you and your friends to check on them, they'll only reply if you question them through the window; they won't open the door."

Katsuki growls and turns towards her.

"Why should I lady? You're making me go out of my way to check on some random people!" He yells.

"Consider it as a favor, after all I DID save you." She chuckles.

He stops, eye twitching. "Really lady, I don't owe you anything!" He says, growling.

"Two daughters, and a wife. Last time I checked, the youngest daughter was there, all alone. Her mother is out looking for Gascoigne, he wasn't supposed to be out all night. And the eldest daughter had to run on an errand." She clenches her fists. "She's all alone there, and all I'm doing is asking you to check on her. You WILL go see if she's alright do you understand you man?" A trace of venom in her words, an unsaid 'I can't'.

He looks at her, feeling her piercing glare. "Fine lady, we'll go check on her after we get through the damn bridge."

She sighs, that'll have to do. She can't help but smirk as he walks off. The bridge is closed, but he doesn't have to know. Someone should put the beast out of it's misery. She knows what it is, she heard the screech; she's seen other hunters face off against it.

She listens to the boy's footsteps as he walks away.

 **-HotN-**

Izuku huffs as he walks over to a body with a small limp. The ogre did a number on him after he ended up getting the attention of the second one. Shoto had to jump in and surprise the second one to get him off of Izuku's back.

Izuku chuckles as he gets three blood vials.

Shoto groans as he finds six shiny golden coins.

"Are you serious?" Shoto mutters.

"So worth it." Izuku chuckles, tossing a blood vial to Shoto as he heals himself.

Shoto catches the vial and pockets it, his injuries weren't that bad.

After the Izuku finishes healing himself he and Shoto walk over to an unexplored area. An elevator, after both try to pull on the locked lever they decide it has to be activated from another point.

They sat down in the small room and watch the outside.

"Should we look for Kacchan? He's been gone a while." Izuku says, sitting cross-legged.

"Bakugo is fine, I'm sure. After all we opened that gate so we would have heard him if he came through. Stealth isn't his strong point." Shoto sighs as he fiddles with the cane.

Izuku chuckles. "Yeah, you're right there." He looks up to the ceiling. "But what if he's stuck somewhere, cornered. And...we might not be able to die for real but..." He looks at the arm he had initially lost.

"Even if we can't truly die, it's still scary you know? Didn't you feel it too?" He asks Shoto. "That cold feeling, that feeling that you couldn't do anything but let it happen because you weren't strong enough? It's scary."

Shoto looks towards the opening. "Yeah, I felt it...and it was pretty terrifying." He recalls the pain, the terror of powerlessness. "But...maybe it's something that we're going to have to get used to. This place is dangerous, and there are going to be a lot of things that are going to come after us. I'm sure we'll make mistakes and get killed, so death is a feeling we're going to get used to."

Izuku looks down, tapping his chin after hearing Shoto's words. The other watches in amusement as his friend goes on one of his muttering rampages again.

"But what if our chances are limited? What if it's like that rule of three, where we only have three chances? What if that's it and then we die again? What happens? Are we just forever dead? What even gives us this ability to have multiple chances? Gilbert recognized us as hunters so could it be possible there are others just like us? If so where are they? Or maybe they didn't die at the same time as us and they're in that place right as we wander around here? How many hunters have come through here? Is it some kind of tradition?" He continues to keep muttering, starting to look dizzy at the lack of oxygen and the headache he's giving himself from overthinking.

Shoto holds back a laugh. "Midoriya." He says, seeing the kid starting to turn blue in the face. "Midoriya." He says, a bit louder. The nerd has begun to tap his fingers faster. "Midoriya!"

He looks up in surprise and covers his mouth in embarrassment. He turns a bit red from Shoto letting out a small chuckle.

Shoto looks at Izuku. "Take a breath Midoriya. It's true we don't know much, but we're going to have to figure things out as we go. Maybe we will have unlimited chances, and maybe we won't. We'll just have to wait and see."

He watches Izuku slowly nod, taking his hands away from his mouth and allow himself his needed oxygen.

They sit in a comfortable silence for the time being. Listening to the bell toll and the woosh of the occasional gust of wind.

It was peaceful until they hear the yelling of a familiar angry teenager.

"Deku! Icyhot! Where the fuck are you!"

"I told you stealth wasn't his forte." Shoto says as he stands up.

"I never disagreed with you." Izuku laughs.

"Oi! Stupid idiots! I'm not waiting around all day!"

They walk out of the room and follow the yells, finding him at the top of the first set of stairs right before the now open door.

"What the hell were you two doing?" He growls as he starts to walk forward, into the looted storehouse that is now filled with corpses.

"Taking a break and gathering ourselves, waiting for you." Shoto answers. "And while you were off doing who knows what we found out this storehouse links to the middle of the bridge. Saving us an all around trip."

"And why didn't you go towards the bridge? Head to that Cathedral Ward place?" He asks. "You were wasting time!"

"Midoriya insisted we wait for you." Shoto sighs.

"Fucking Deku!"

"I-I felt it was only right!"

"Tch, whatever let's go." Katsuki pulls out his pistol and as he's about to walk forward he stops. "Hold on." He reaches into his bag and pulls out four thin, yellow papers. "Someone gave these to me and said to share. So here." He mutters.

They each take two.

"Uh, where'd you get these Kacchan?" Izuku asks.

"From a crazy crow lady! These just help get you back to the last lamp you were at but it makes all the monsters appear again!" He shoves his two into his bag and stomps up the stairs.

"A crazy...crow lady." Shoto repeats. "What?"

"Who knows, come on. Kacchan's right, we should get going." Izuku readies himself, loading his blunderbuss and putting the cleaver in its full form.

Shoto heads up the stairs with the other two, looking around the area. To the right there are two of the black wolfs, snarling and growling. To the left is their detination, as well as one of those ogres surrounded by crows.

Katsuki narrows his eyes.

"We could just make a run for it, I'm sure the monsters won't follow us that far. They'll probably lose interest after a few feet." Izuku says, looking around.

"Why don't we just kill them and take their energy!"Katsuki growls.

"Why injure ourselves and waste limited blood vials when there is no reason to?" Shoto reasoned, siding with Izuku.

Katsuki growls. "Fine! But later we're gonna kill 'em!"

They watch for the wolves to go to a farther distance, then dash out. They run past toppled over carriages and statues carved to take on a miserable persona.

They pass the ogre, the crows lifting themselves up in irritation and anger when the boys had disturbed their rest. They head towards the large archway, ignoring the loud moans of the ogre.

They keep dashing forward, speeding up when they thought the ogre was following them.

Izuku gasps. "There! That door!" He says, starting to rush towards it, until there's a loud rumble and a screech.

It screams as it jumps the large wall, landing hard on the bridge, causing it to shake.

The three back-pedal and yell in surprise, almost falling over.

Landing in front of them, an enormous creature with disfigured horns.The left arm is massive compared to the right arm, covered in thick fur that waves freely in the air.. The ribs stand put against the thick skin of the beast, showing off it's thin, almost unhealthy figure. It has no eyes, or so it seems, the long, gray fur covering the face as well.

"What the fuck it that!" Katsuki yells as they back up, trying to get to the archway.

"I don't know!" Izuku yells.

Shoto gets to the archway first, tring to get past an invisible wall made of thick fog. He yells as he tries to go through, seeing the creature drag itself forward. "It's not working! We're stuck here!" He yells, turning towards the other two.

They all watch as the large creature jumps up, and is coming towards them quickly.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Katsuki yells as they run forward, avoiding the impact of the landing.

"Shouldn't we just make a break for the bridge!" Shoto says, using his pistol to try and do some kind of damage to the monster before them.

"If that thing can jump over that wall, whose to say it won't do it again and chase after us!" Izuku responds, looking through his bag for something that can help. His mind going a million miles as hour.

Katsuki growls as he shortens the axe and pulls out his pistol.

"Then I guess we're just gonna have to kill it." He growls.

"W-What?" Izuku says, watching the creature scream and ready itself for a jump.

They watch as it jumps up again, they run forward and avoid the damage again.

"You can't be serious!" Shoto says.

"Oh I am!" He starts to run towards the beast. He yells as he runs towards the beast that screams back, slamming an arm down.

Katsuki narrowly avoided the attack, almost being flattened. He grits his teeth and raises the axe above his head and brings to down on the fur-covered arm. The axe hardly tears through the thick muscles of the beast.

He pulls it out as it begins to move it's arm, he backs up a bit when the small arm swipes at him. He's about to fire off his pistol when a whip comes and slahes the monster across it's abdomen. Causing it to scream in rage as a small spurt of blood comes through.

He sees Deku run past them and side step behind the beast to avoid a wide swipe. He watches the nerd start to hack away at the hind legs, getting it's attention and watching it turns toward him.

Katsuki growls as he watches the green-nette roll to the side at it begins to slam the ground, aiming for any of the three boys. Shoto had gotten too close and was flattened by it. He got up as fast as he could, his injuries drawing the attention of the beast. A meal.

It reaches for him, until it was interrupted with a moltav to the face.

"Leave him alone!" Izuku yells, getting another one and chucking it before jumping back to avoid a swipe.

They watch the beast claw at the short lived flames, screaming even louder than before.

They watch for a moment, backing away when it uses it's right arm to strike one of them; hitting the bridge instead. It tries to pull out it's large claw from the stones.

Izuku runs over to Katsuki.

"Kacchan! Didn't you get something like oil earlier?" He asks, chucking another cocktail at it. Making it angry.

"Yeah, why!" He shoots it.

"Throw the damn urns Bakugo!" Shoto yells as he runs forward. "And put everything you can into your quirk!" he yells, putting the pistol away.

Izuku readies himself, seeing a chance to get a Smash in. He doubts it'll kill it, but for now it's better than chipping away at it with their weak weapons.

Katsuki gets to two urns and runs forward, yelling as he throws them as the beast got free. It looks at the prey running right towards it, taking an oil urn to it's face and to the left arm.

"Midoriya!" Shoto yells as he feels his right side growing hotter and hotter, storing all the energy he can into this one attack.

Izuku runs faster and sends One for All surging through his body, yelling as he jumps up and pulls his fist back; unintentionally dropping his weapons.

"Detroit...SMASH!" He yells as his drives his fist into the maw of the screaming creature. It staggers and lowers it's head, mildly stunned by the surprise attack.

"Kacchan! Todoroki!" He yells as he back up, avoiding the large arm.

"Shut up Deku!" The blonde yells as he runs forward, putting both of his hands out and grabbing onto the large head of the creature. "DIE!!" He screams as he lets off the explosions, generating explosions as Shoto rushes to the larger arm, putting in as much power as he could into the flames. The quickly dwindling flames barely cover the area from his hand to his forearm.

He yells as he sends the flames up the arm, they quickly leave him and the large beast catches fire. It screams out of pure, agonizing pain and uses it's one good arm to throw Katsuki off of it. He's thrown into the side of the carriage by the entrance, temporarily incapacitated.

The large beast claws it it's arms, desperately trying to put the flames out. Shoto starts to run around to it's back and slash away at the legs again.

"Kacchan!" Izuku yells out of worry, about to run over until he's grabbed by two claws. He hears the creature scream as he's repeatedly slammed into the hard stone ground again and again. HE feels his body breaking with each blow, coughing up blood and feeling the liquid vitality running down his face.

After beating the poor boy down it throws him away next to his friend and turns it's attention to Shoto. Shoto mentally curses his situation, and his damn weapon, and the two who won't get up! He manages to dodge the four slams of the ground and looks to the side, seeing Izuku's dropped weapons. He watches the beast drag itself forward and growls, grabbing the saw cleaver and pressing the trigger, putting it into it's full form.

Katsuki groans as he sits up, quickly healing himself and gathering his weapons. He looks at the battered body next to him, surprised.

"Deku how the hell are you alive?" He asks, watching the boy weakly stab himself in the leg. When he receives no answer he growls and rushes off to help Shoto.

"Hey fucker!" He yells, getting the creature's attention. He throws a cocktail at it and listens to the screams. He yells as he rushes forward and lengthens his axe, swinging it at the small arm.

The axe cuts through the muscle, sending blood spraying. He sees it stagger in pain, then he hits it again. Even more blood as it leans over in pain; screaming all the while.

Shoto runs up to it yelling, bringing the cleaver down on it's head as hard as he could.

It screeches in pain and gets on all fours, it's head down.

Shoto goes over and thrusts his hand into it's head, grabbing onto whatever he could in there and roughly pulling it out. It's sent back a bit and manages to get it's balance back after steadying itself.

They watch it back up a bit more and it suddenly seems to hug itself, they see a crimson aura surround the arms and it pulls it's arms out again. The injuries gone.

"Are you fucking kidding me? What is this thing made out of!" Katsuki yells, getting more and more irritated.

"The arms!" They hear someone yell. They look behind them and see Izuku shakily getting to his feet. "It's arms are the most vunerable!"

"But he fucking heals them!" Katsuki yells.

"Then we won't give him the chance." Shoto growls, as he brandishes the cleaver he doesn't feel empty anymore. His quirk is recharged.

"Bakugo, you think you have another set of explosions in you?" He asks as the beast heads towards them again.

"I don't have any more of those damn urns." He says. "But yeah, why Icyhot what are you planning?"

Izuku runs over to them, all of his injuries gone, but still covered in dried blood. "You two get the arms." He holds up his fist. "I'll get the head."

"Don't tell me what to fucking do Deku!" Katsuki yells as he sidesteps another attack.

Izuku turns to him. "Do you have any better ideas Kacchan!"

Katsuki looks a bit surprised, then quickly hides it with a scowl. "Whatever, just don't get in my way Deku."

"You sure you can manage it Midoriya?" Shoto asks. He watches the boy nod.

"Yeah, I just need your with Todoroki, you're gonna need the cleaver." He catches the thrown cane and puts it on his back. He steps back, before dashing off. He avoids the forward slam from the left arm and jumps up. He yells as the sends One for All only to his arm, mentally apologizing.

"Detroit...SMASH!!" He screams as he once again drives his fist into the jaw of the beast, making it drop it's head in pain. It tries to grab him but both of his arms were covered in small flames. it claws at them.

As it's once again distracted, Izuku takes a moment to heal himself while the other to hack away at the arms as quickly as they could before running out of energy.

Shoto manages to hit it just right and brutally injure it's left arm, hot blood spraying all over him as he continues to hack away at it. Katsuki strikes at the left arm repeatedly, grinning as he finally starts to get through the skin, the muscle, tendons and ligaments. More blood comes gushing from the wounds.

Once the arms are furthered injured, Izuku runs towards the lowered head and grabs the can; transforming it into the whip. He lifts his arm, and with a flick of his wrist he lashes the whip forward. He watches in surprise as instead of slashing the face it wraps around around one of the horns.

"No...oh no oh no..." He tugs at the whip, harder and harder. He doesn't hear the snapping and popping of the horn as the monster screams louder and louder as it tries to get away.

Katsuki manages to pin the smaller, weaker arm to the ground with the axe. He keep trying to set off the explosions, impatient. Shoto keeps cutting into the larger arms, cutting through the fur and muscle.

Izuku yells as he finally gets the whip free, tearing off one of the disfigured horns. It clatters at his feet and he watches it claw at it's head where the pain radiates from. It's head slams into the ground, making the bridge shake.

Izuku sees this, and takes the opportunity. He does what he had seen Shoto do. Thrusting his hand into the side of the head, he feels for something to grab onto; then pulls it out with as much force as he could.

He stumbles back, as do the others as it manages to come free. It screams louder, louder. I falls to it's knees, arms going slack. It falls forward and explodes, blood erupting from it's body as it fades away into a blue mist.

They pant, looking to the sky as blood begin to rain down. Something lands in front of Katsuki, a metal, glowing medallion shaped like the hilt of a sword.

They look at the item, and as Katsuki was about to kneel down to grab it they all can't help but suddenly stagger. Katsuki falls onto his knees, while the other two stuggle to keep their balance.

They feel a wave of energy pour into them, an overwhelming amount. They feel something else, not so much an energy but instead it's more like an understanding. Knowldge they couldn't have hoped to normally gain, nor understand.

Katsuki growls as he grabs the badge and stands up straight. "W-What the hell was that?" He asks. He looks ahead and sees a lamp appear.

"No idea, it felt like...more of that energy and...soething else." Izuku says, following his friend.

Shoto has a splitting headache, he rubs his eyes as he walks past the lamp Izuku lights and to the door. "Whatever it was, I'm sure these people will...have..." He tried to open the door, traiing off as he pushes against it, then tries to pull it open. His eyes widen as he keeps trying.

"No...no no no no!" He keeps trying to open it, still trying to open the door.

Izuku looks at him. "Todoroki, what's wrong?" He asks, stepping forward.

Shoto's head drops, leaning against the door. He looks at the other two, pointing at the door.

"It's locked."

They freeze, processing the information;

Katsuki stares at Shoto, clenching his fists. "What?"

Shoto gives him a blank stare. "You heard me."

Izuku steps away from Katsuki as he begins shaking, his eye twitching. He stares at the sky as he screams.

"Are you fucking kidding me!"

 **-HotN-**

 **My god, 10K words.**

 **So worth it.**

 **My brain is fried from writing this chapter, and I am so sorry it took me so long to get this posted. But yay! It has been done!**

 **This was a pretty long chapter, and I kind of have a knack for writing these. So I can keep them long unless you all want me to start posting shorter chapters.**

 **Welp, that's enough of me.**

 **Have a nice day/ night everybody!**

 **P.S. I do not own Bloodborne or BNHA**


	5. Chapter 5: A Doll, Gehrman, A Music Box

**Chapter 5: A Doll, an Old Man, and a Tiny Music Box**

Izuku watches Katsuki throw his tantrum and scream while Shoto goes off to the side to collect more bullets that were hidden behind a statue. He looks at the carved out stone. It looks like a woman, a robe draping over her as she weeps for some unknown reason

Katsuki finally gets over his bout of rage and mildly calms down, still a bit angry.

"So what's with the lamp? Why did it just appear?" Katsuki asks as he looks over, seeing four messengers praying to the lamp's light.

"I guess they're something like checkpoints." Shoto says as we walks over. "They'll appear after a major event, or a new area."

Katsuki huffs and crosses his arms.

Izuku watches the lamp. "Maybe there's something back at the dream? We haven't been there a while, and it doesn't hurt to check." He kneels down, putting a hand forward.

"And if there isn't?" Katsuki growls.

Izuku shrugs as he starts to disappear, Shoto following him and putting a hand in front of the lantern. Katsuki watches them then huffs, kneeling down and joining them in their journey to the Dream.

 **-HotN-**

It was quiet in the Dream.

The Messengers were hanging around the gravestones and the garden, playing their small games and moaning to each other. They seem to trade things here and there, whether it be pieces of paper, or small trinkets valuable to only them.

In the small wooden workshop, there's an old man sitting in a wheelchair. He looks around the workshop littered with books, miniature lamps, small trinkets, and a few tables. He sighs. "Three...Three new hunters." He rubs his tired old eyes. "Oh the chaos that'll ensue..." He mutters, he had heard them yelling when they first came through. Disturbing the usual quiet of the dream, hunters of the past often had more respect for the peace and tranquility that Dream had.

Next to a small wall, with a lantern beside her, was the Doll. She looks around the Dream, listening to the wind blow gently, to the quiet moans of the Messengers. She watches them play their little trading games, hoping to get something better every time. She laughs softly, watching a group play at her feet. They had offered to let her play, even offering a small trinket she could use as something to trade.

She respectfully declined and decided to watch instead. And play mediator when they begin to fight.

They keep playing until there is a disturbance in the dream, startling all the Messengers and making them disappear. The Doll watches them fade away, then turns her attention to the three figures that begin to appear. She watches their silhouettes slowly form, smiling.

The first one to fully appear was Izuku, he looked around the Dream. He felt something was different, there was someone new in the Dream. He looks around until his eyes land on the Doll. He looks surprised, looking to where the abandoned doll used to be.

He's about to walk over when SHoto had interrupted his train of thought.

"Is...Is that the doll?" He asks, looking to where the lifeless doll had been before. His mind comes to the same conclusion Izuku's did, the doll somehow came to life.

Katsuki appear next, stopping where the other two had, confusion.

"The fuck? Is that the doll?" He asks.

Izuku and Shoto nod.

"I think so."

"...One of you go talk to her." Katsuki says. He pushes Izuku forward. "You, you're the most expendable."

"H-Huh! Kacchan!"

"There is no need to fear me." The Doll laughs softly, making the boys look at her in surprise.

"I am a Doll, here in this dream to look after you." She gives a comforting smile, making all three of them relax.

They take a moment look around the Dream before Shoto pointed something out to them. "Look, the doors; they're open!" He says.

"What? Finally!" Katsuki runs up the stairs, followed by a curious Shoto. Who had said a quick goodbye to the doll.

The Doll then looks to the boy still standing in front of her, she sees him with his hand on his chin. His head down, he was muttering to himself.

"The doll came to life? But how? Does it have something to do with the monster we fought? Did it trigger something in this place? Does what happens out there affect the Dream? But on how large of a scale would it have to be? A monster? Weather changes? The change of night to day? How big or small are the changes?" He continues to mutter to himself, amusing the Doll.

A few of the Messengers start to come up, staring at him. They had never really seen a hunter like him, one who questions everything. Everyone else had just taken it in stride.

"I have always been alive good hunter." The Doll says softly, snapping Izuku out of his muttering state and making him cover his mouth in embarrassement. She smiles in amusement, the silence a prompt for her to continue. "I was always here, even when I just appeared to be an abandoned doll. You could not see me, due to the veil of ignorance that surrounded you. You have gained something called Insight, inhuman knowledge. With this, you can now begin to understand things no one else can."

Izuku watches her, processing the new information. "So, when we beat that monster. And our heads began to hurt, that was the Insight?" He asks, then gasps. "And the energy? That stuff we get from killing the monsters, what is that?" He asks.

The Doll lets him finish his questions before responding.

"Yes, that was the Insight. The reason your head began to hurt was because your mind finally began to process what you have been seeing. As for this energy you speak of, as a hunter; you are a pursuer of the echoes of blood. I channel them into your strength, would you like me to do so now?" She asks.

"Echoes of blood, Blood Echoes..." The boy thinks for a moment before nodding, an idea forming in his mind.

She nods. "Very well, let the echoes become your strength. Let me stand close. Now shut your eyes..."

Izuku does as he's told, feeling a hand take his. Then he feels it let go, feeling it's presence over his palm and under his hand. A warm feeling fills him, no it was already there. It makes itself know, flowing throughout his body and into his palm.

"Where would you like to divert this newfound strength good hunter?" The Doll asks.

"Where...what do you mean?" He asks, keeping his eyes closed.

"Vitality, the will to live; the more you have, the more you can fight despite your injuries. I'm sure Endurance is self explanatory. Strength, how much force you can wield your weapon with. How much damage you can do with a single blow. The Skill attribute can give you a greater understanding of how certain weapons work, and a few other aspects. Your Bloodtinge makes your blood stronger, making your bullets carry more force. And Arcane, a magical attribute that gives you the power to weild certain weapons and items. once again providing a greater understanding." She patiently explains.

She waits for a response while the boy thinks.

While the boy goes over his options Katsuki and Shoto stand in the now open workshop. Before them sits an old man, who notices them after a moment.

"Ah-hah, you must be the new hunters. Welcome to the Hunter's Dream. This will be your home, for now. I am..." The man goes quiet, mumbling to himself. As if he has forgotten. "Gehrman, friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it." He says, watching the two young man. Strange, he could have swor there were three.

"This place is called the Hunter's Dream? What exactly are we suposed to do here?" Katsuki asks.

The old man sighs. "This was once a safe haven for hunters. A workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but...You're welcome to use whatever you find." He leans forward a bit, a smile on his face. The boys watch him, listening to his whisper. "...Even the doll, should it please you..." He chuckles softly, leaning back and leaving the boys momentarily disturbed.

"And...what exactly is here that we can use. Other than the doll?" Shoto asks, hiding his disgust better than Katsuki.

"You can repair your weapons there." He points to a small desk off to the side of the wall. "Hunters were once able to fortify certain gems into their weapons. Now all that old station can be used for, is to repair your weapon and fortify it with shards of blood." He says.

They look to the desk, seeing a few items scattered on the desk. Hanging above the desk were weapons that looked like they were torn apart to figure out the mechanisms.

After they take a quick look at the desk Katsuki steps forward. "Hey, old man. What the hell is this?" He asks, holding forward the badge that fell to his feet after slaying the large beast.

The old man looks at it for a moment before sighing. "Ask the Messengers. Kneel down, and tap the ground. Show them the item and ask them, they will always give you the information you need."

Katsuki raises an eyebrow, then pockets the item. "Whatever. What's the doll here for other than your sick sexual fantasies?' He asks.

Gehrman takes a breath. This young man had quite the attitude on him.

"She is here, to help enhance your flesh, your power. Why don't you ask her for a better explanation?" He mutters. He looks to the boys, seeing they have no more questions he puts his head down. After a moment snoring is heard, irritating the blonde and making the scarred boy sigh.

"Speaking of the doll, Midoriya is probably still talking to her. Maybe he knows more about the doll by now." Shoto says, turning away.

"Old man can't tell us shit." Katsuki mutters as he walks ahead.

"On the contrary. He told us what this place is used for and what tools we currently have at our disposal." Shoto counters.

"Shut up you cold hotpocket!" Katsuki yells as he walks down the stairs.

"Cold hotpocket? That's new." Shoto mutters, smirking when Katsuki yells more.

They walk down the stairs to see Izuku bowing to the doll, thanking her. They see her bow back.

"Oi Deku! What the hell are you doing?" Katsuki says loudly as he approaches the green-nette.

"Oh! Kacchan! Todoroki! Doll, she explained a few things to me! That energy we gain, they're called Blood Echoes and she can use them to make us stronger!" He goes on rant, explaing what the echoes can be channeled into. Explaining the six attributes. He was about to explain what the Doll had said about Insight until he was pushed to the side by his childhood friend.

"Move it Deku." He stands in front of The Doll and looks at her. "Make me stronger lady." He demands.

The Doll nods and kneels down, taking his hand. He demands Strength, Vitality, and Skill. To which she obliges.

After Katsuki is done, he walks off and goes to use the small workshop desk. Thinking he could enhance his weapons.

"I'm sorry he's so rude." Izuku apologizes as Shoto approaches her.

She smiles. "It is alright." She says, taking Shoto's hand and kneeling down.

"Where would you like to divert your strength good hunter?" She asks.

"Vitality and Skill please." Shoto answers, feeling the energy flow from his palm; to his entire body. He thanks The Doll as he takes his hand away as she stands up.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you have a name?" Shoto asks, seeing Izuku talk to a few Messengers in what looks like a bath.

The Doll shakes her head. "No good hunter, I am merely referred to as The Doll." She answers.

Shoto nods. "Do you know anything about this place? Having been here for so long?"

"Over time, countless hunters have visited this dream. The graves here stand in their memory. It all seems so long ago now..." She trails off, as if thinkng back to all the hunters she's met in the past.

"What about the Messengers?" Izuku asks, walking over from the bath.

"Ahh, the little ones, inhabitants of the dream...They find hunters like yourself, worship, and serve them. Speak words, they do not, but still, aren't they sweet?" She smiles as a few pop up from the ground and offer her one of the white flowers.

"I guess they are, when they're not smothering you." Izuku says, seeing how happy they look when the Doll took the flower and silently thanked them.

Shoto hums, when looks at Izuku. "What had you so interested in the bath over there?" He asks, seeing two Messengers hanging about.

"Oh, the Messengers there sell a few things like bullets and blood vials. I bought a few and-"

"FUCK!" They hear a familiar voice yell.

Shoto and Izuku look to the workshop and see Katsuki stomp out. He was yelling incoherent things out of rage.

"I think the old man may have pissed him off." Shoto says as he watches the teen head towards them.

"Old man?" Izuku asks.

"I'll tell you later." Shoto promises.

"I can't do shit but repair with that damn work station! I need like three blood-stone shards!" He yells. "Where the fuck are we supposed to get those!"

"Maybe they're hiding around?" Izuku asks. "Maybe certain monsters have-"

"Don't go on one of your damn word vomits Deku! I don't have the patience to deal with that shit!"

"You never do." Izuku mumbles.

"What was that!"

"N-Nothing!"

"Enough! Maybe we should focus on a more serious issue at hand." Shoto steps between them to keep Katsuki from pummeling Izuku.

"And what exactly is that?" Katsuki growls.

"We have to figure out a way to get to the Cathedral Ward, since the bridge is closed off." Shoto glares at Katsuki.

"Maybe Gilbert knows another way." Izuku offers.

"As if! Like that fucker knows another way around! I already have another route, the crazy crow lady told me about it!" He growls.

"And what way is that Bakugo?" Shoto questions.

"Through the damn sewers! Besides, we have to go through there and check on some kid. She asked me to. Apparently there's some kid all alone there while her parents and older sister are out." He mutters, remembering his promise.

"You made a promise on our behalf?" Shoto asks.

"If she could get you to do that, I'd actually kinda like to meet her." Izuku chuckles.

"What!"

Shoto rolls his eyes. "Alright, let's go. Bakugo, do you remember where the girl's house is? And what lamp are we going to appear at?" He goes over to the grave.

"Maybe the Central Yharnam one. That storehouse goes right through that area that Kacchan visited. Would she still be there?" Izuku looks at Bakugo.

"Fuck if I know!" Katsuki mutters as he kneels down, putting a hand to the grave and willing himself away.

Before Izuku follows he suddenly remembers his weapons.

"Oh no! I left my gun on the bridge!" Izuku says. "Uh...I-I'll meet in you the sewers! I'll find my way over there once I get my stuff!" Izuku kneels down and is about to teleport away.

"Hold on Midoriya. Here, your saw cleaver." Shoto holds out the weapon to the kneeling boy.

Izuku looks at it for a minute before shaking his head. "No, it's fine Todoroki. You seem much more comfortable with that than the whip." He smiles.

Shoto looks a bit surprised. "Are you sure? You know it's not as strong as the cleaver right?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah, I'm sure!" He then focuses on teleporting away, his body disappearing.

Shoto follows afterwards, heading to the Central Yharnam lamp. He'll explain the situation to Katsuki when he gets there.

Before he leaves, he hears the Doll say a goobye. "Farewell, good hunters. May you find your worth in the waking world."

 **-HotN-**

Izuku opens his eyes and takes a deep breath. He scans the bridge and sees the monsters outside the archway. He keeps looking around until he sees his blunderbuss.

He sighs as he goes over to it, picking it up and putting it in the holster on his back. "Can't believe I dropped you. I should have sheathed you instead..." He mutters to himself as he gathers his things and organizes himself. He doesn't have much, just the blood vials, bullets, the bold hunter's mark, and the notebook.

He looks around and then goes to the railing of the bridge, wondering if there was anything else to see from up above.

He's met with an amazing view of the city of Yharnam, bathed in the crimson light of the afternoon sun. The buildings look so small from his view, but knowing they're so close. The city built on top of itself. The city made of blood. Yharnam.

He takes in the view for a bit before shaking his head. Remembering what he was supposed to do. He got his gun, now he has to get to the sewers.

As he walks towards the archway he stops, looking towards the far end of the bridge. The end that was blocked off by two of those large wolves. He couldn't help but wonder what could be on that side. What if there was something important? He could handle all those monsters right? He _could_ lure those wolves to the doorway of the storehouse, they look way too big to fit through the doorway.

"But Kacchan and Todoroki might get worried...wondering where I am..." He rubs his arm. "Well...Todoroki will."

He sighs, thinking it over in his mind.

He finally stands up straight after a moment and pulls out his weapons.

"I'll make it quick, it won't take me that long right?" He asks himself as he runs towards the ogre and crows.

 **-HotN-**

Shoto stretches as he appears at the Central Yharnam lamp. He frowns at the 'tch' from an all too familiar person.

"About damn time you got here. Where the hell is Deku?" He asks, leaning against a coffin with his arms crossed.

"Midoriya had dropped his firearm while we were fighting that beast. He went to go get it, he said he'll meet us in the sewers as soon as he can." Shoto explains.

"Of course that idiot dropped one of his weapons." Katsuki mutters as he stands up, he walks towards the gate. "By the time he catches up we'll be halfway trhough the damn sewers. Hell we might already be at the Cathedral Ward by then."

"You should try to show a bit more patience and kindess to Midoriya. After all he opted to wait for you when we found a way to the bridge. I had half a mind to just leave you wherever you were, but he conivnced me to wait." Shoto says, pulling out the saw cleaver as they walk down the stairs and are greeted with a man wielding a torch and an axe.

Katsuki growls as he shoots the man then impales him with an axe. "I'll treat Deku the way I wanna treat him! Don't go around telling me how to deal with the damn idiot!" He yells as he walks forward. "Now come on!"

Shoto sighs, watching the blonde pick up a few bullets and head towards the storehouse. Another man with a saber had tried to ambush them, only to fail miserably and to wind up dead with a a hand missing.

They make their way through the next area, slaughtering the revived dogs. Shoto had been ambushed by a patrolling dog, it had seen them pass and ran for the closest one. It was stunned by a bullet and finished off with the cleaver.

They walked forward on the small bridge, to see a dog barking at a door. It hadn't noticed them, it was too focued on terrorizing the poor victim inside.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and goes to wlak ast it, only to find the dog had a rather short attention span. It turned to him and jumped at him, biting down on his leg and almost making im fall over.

"Get off of me you fucking mutt!" He yells as he shoots it and kills it out of rage. He growls as he's about to walk past the house, until an old woman speaks up.

"Oh, you're hunters aren't ya? Then, well, do you know of any safe places?" They're met with the voice of an old woman. She sounded slightly relieved at the death of her terrorizer.

They look at each other, not expecting someone to speak up.

Katsuki rolls his eyes and starts to walk away while Shoto turned to the old woman's door.

"I'm sorry, but we don't know of any safe place. But if we find one we'll be sure to tell you." Shoto promises.

"Yeah, I should've known. Ya good-for-nothing...No respect for the elderly is what it is! Yeah, fat lot of good you outsiders do. Go on, admit it, you think we're all mad, don't ya? Well, go and stuff it! I know all yer tricks!" She yells, banging on the door out of anger.

Shoto bites his lip after the woman had gone silent, commenting to himself how that had escalated so quickly. Was everyone here borderline mad? Maybe.

"Come on hotpocket, it's this way." Katsuki says as he looks to the boy.

He leads him to the top of a set of stairs, watching the bottom until a large man beast appeared. A saw, and a torch in it's hand. It looks up to them and growls, rushing forward to bring the saw down.

Katsuki had waited for when the saw was upon them, he and Shoto had shot the beast. Shoto, more out of shock.

The beast falls to it's knees and Katsuki gladly rushes over and rips it's guts out, although not all too pleased to be _covered_ in blood.

"Was that necessary?" Shoto asks as he watches the boy destroy a few barrels and drop down.

"Yes, now come on asshole!" Katsuki growls as Shoto drops down next to him.

The dual-haired boy follows Katsuki as he smashes a few more barrels and boxes that stood in his way. Katsuki walked into the crow's perch for the second time.

"Hey old hag!" Katsuki yells as he walks up the woman in a black, feathered garb, Wearing a white mask of a crow.

"Oh, well look who's back. And...oh. You've brought your friends...well friend. I thought there were two of them." She turns to them as they walk up to her.

"Stupid ass Deku dropped his gun on the bridge. He should have gotten it back by now. Idiot probably got lost on the way too." He mutters.

"So if this Deku isn't here..." She looks to Shoto. "You must be Icyhot."

Shoto gives Katsuki a look before holding out a hand to the woman.

"My name is Shoto Todoroki. Nice to see a friendly face in this place." He asks as she shakes his hand.

"Eileen, the crow. My, this young man has more manners than you." She looks to Katsuki as she says this. "You could learn a thing or two from him." She chuckles.

"Shut up lady!" He yells. "We only came by to ask where the girl's house is. Then we're gonna head over to the Cathedral Ward since you said there's a way through the sewers." He huffs, crossing his arms.

"Oh, actually going to fufill your promise then?" She asks, smirking when she receives a growl as an answer. "Well, down the stairs from the way you came, there's an area with enemies. There;s only one way to go, with two gunman and a man beast standing in your way. If you're fast enough you can go get down the ladder and run through the sewers. You should be met with a ladder, go up it and you'll know what to do." She sighs.

Shoto nods, thinking over the instructions again.

"And you can't do it yourself because..?" Katsuki asks.

"I've told you once, I'll tell you again. I need my energy if I'm going to make a dash to the Ward." She answers, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Katsuki watches her for a moment before letting out a "Tch." He turns around and walks away.

Shoto thanks her for the marks before he leaves, not following Katsuki this time. Instead he walks around the rafters, finding a few items. He found to bodies that were suspended by chains, he tried to grab the items. Before we way able to grab them both bodies ended up falling.

"You gotta be kidding me." He mutters, thinking about jumping down until he sees Katsuki fighting off one of those beasts. The one he was dealing with had a large metal pole as it's weapon. He couldn't help but watch in amusement as Katsuki would get his ass handed to him, only to swing his axe wildly and angrily in retaliation.

"He can deal them." He tells himself as he jumps down.

Shoto was surprised when his ankles didn't shatter, no they were a bit sore if anything. He sighs softly as he listens to a gunshot ring out, and a yell of anger to answer. He walks over to the body and pulls back a small part of the wrapping to find a weapon. He raises an eyebrow in question as he picks it up.

"This looks like a-" He was cut off with an attack from behind. After being knocked down he had quickly gotten to his feet and rolled forward. He turned around to see two large rats with what looked like oversized eyes crawling rapidly towards him.

"Rats too?" He asks he he pulls out Izuku's former weapon, pressing the trigger and attacking the rodents of unusual size. He found them rather easy to deal with, in the end they were still rats. They couldn't do much but claw and bite at their prey. Despite their size...they were pretty pathetic.

After dealing with the rodents he takes a closer look at the weapon he found.

It was similar to the saw cleaver, except it was more of a spear. He pressed the trigger, it was longer than the saw cleaver. Offered more range. He smiles as he stashes it in his back, surprised it had fit. Planning to give it to Izuku, anything was better than the whip.

He looks up as he hears a yell and a large thud.

Katsuki had ended up falling across the way, a bullet causes him to lose balance and fall over.

He jumps up and looks at the gunman.

"You son of a bitch! Just wait until I-FUCK!" He was tackled by a few rats.

Shoto thinks it over in his mind, should he help? Yeah, he probably should. He grunts and jumps over the gap between the two areas and starts hacking away at the rats. He gets rid of three before Katsuki gets up and deals with the last two. He heals himself and glares at Shoto.

"Where the fuck were you? The hell are you doing down here!" He yells, grabbing the slightly taller boy by the collar.

"I found something on the body bags hanging above the rafters. And I was about to grab this other one until you fell over the edge." He says calmly, grabbing the blonde's arm and making let him go.

Katsuki glares at him and goes over to the body, grabbing a squishy lump of blood.

"The fuck is this?"

"Hell if I know." Shoto says as the other boy pockets the item.

They jump down from the elevated are and walk past old wooden boats that have clearly seen better days. It looks like quite a few of them were smashed, a great force applied. Maybe someone had fallen on top of them, or the passengers of the boat had been attacked by something large.

They walk out of a small tunnel and both notice a ladder off to the side. It had to be the ladder Eileen told them about. They saw two gunman walking on one end side. Walking across the brdige was a man beast with a large stick.

"At least we don't have to deal with them." Shoto mutters.

"Missed out on all those Blood Echoes." Katsuki mutters.

"If you want to go up and fight them, you're on your own. Right now I think we should be more concerned about getting to that girl." Shoto says as he walks forward.

The footsteps of the two are rather loud, moving water with each step. They listen to their footsteps, to the swishing of the water. There's nothing to talk about, an uncomfortable, and slightly hostile silence between the two. The only noise that dares to interrupt that is the sound of the bell toll, and the feeling of a slight shift in the air.

It wasn't until they reach a wooden platform with a small ladder leading down, further into the sewers. And on their right, a large ladder going up to who knows where.

"I guess this is the place." Shoto says.

"Let's get this over with." Katsuki mutters, about to climb the ladder until Shoto grabs him by the back of the shirt.

"Hold on, we're pretty far ahead. Let's just wait for Midoriya." He says, making Katsuki step off the ladder with a rough tug.

Katsuki opens his mouth to object until a loud scream is heard. They both stop, and look up to an impossibly high area.

They both see the familiar form of the green nerd, panicking and yelling. They both watch as he's chased down by a large pack of rats and a two of those man beasts. One with a torch and the other with a large stick.

"So that's where he was." Shoto says, looking concerned as he watches Izuku duck and dodge a sereies of attack, running over to something a grabbing a glowing item they couldn't make out in the distance.

"How the hell did he get up there!" Katsuki yells.

They watch in surprise as the panicking boy jumps off the ledge, presumably to his death. Until he pulls out the whip and it wraps around a large wooden beam. His fall stops suddenly and he nearly drops his bag. He clings to the whip, despite the serrated part of it cutting into his palms, as one of the beasts jumps after him. It failed miserably in trying to catch him and ended up slamming onto the ground of the sewer, a loud crack is heard as it made impact.

Shoto looks up the scared boy clinging to the whip muttering to himself. He catches a few things in his rather loud rambling.

"Why did I go down the bridge? That was stupid. So stupid. Why on Earth did I do that, oh my god I-AH!" The beam suddenly collasped under his weight and broke in half. Sending the boy falling to the ground.

They both flinch at the loud thud, they half expected him to be dead until a loud painful groan was heard.

"Are you alright Midoriya?" Shoto asks loudly as Katsuki cackles.

"Ugh...I-I'm alright..." Izuku answers as he gets up on unsteady feet. He wobbles for a moment before standing up straight. He goes over and collects the loot from the body of the beast that attacked him. Two blood vials.

He limps over to the ladder, ignoring the two glows coming from a pile of legless bodies. He didn't trust them.

He slowly makes his way up the ladder and sits down against the other one. He uses two blood vials and works to regain his breath, and slow his racing heart.

"Deku where the fuck did you go!" Katsuki yells as he punches him on his head.

Izuku looks at him. Was that a hint on concern? Or was it the blood loss? Oh, hell if he knows, he just knows everything hurts.

"I uh... went to the other side of the uh, bridge. And...I fell into the sewers, I guess a d-different part of them. I fight a few of those tall things with torches and saws and a big stick, and I fell off the edge when dealing with one and I was chased by a bunch a rats." He rubs his eyes. He sighs as he feels the last of his wounds stitch themselves together, and the fuzziness from his head clear.

He looks at them. "It wasn't very fun."

Katsuki frowns. "Didi you find anything useful at least?"

"A like two or three blood stone shards I think, and a lump of blood." He says. He then remembers what he grabbed and then looks into his bag. "Oh...and this. Right before I fell." He shows them the clothes he grabbed. They look at them, they seemed much sturdier and thicker than their current outfits.

"Wow, that's a find." Shoto says, stepping back to help him up.

"What! Son of a bitch! Share some of those shards! We all need some." Katsuki yells, almost grabbing the short boy by the collar.

Shoto opens his mouth to argue, but Izuku stops him.

"No Todoroki, Kacchan's right. If these things are so hard to find, maybe we should make sure we all get some. Who knows where we're going to find more?" He says as he hands on each to the two.

Izuku sighs as he stretches his arms, testing out the healed muscles.

"So why are we here? Did you guys find the girl yet?" Izuku asks.

"No! We were about to head over to the stupid house until your ass came." Katsuki says as he points to the ladder. "We have to head up this thing and then the house is supposed to be nearby."

Izuku nods.

Katsuki heads up the ladder, follows by Shoto.

"You coming Midoriya?" Shoto asks.

"I'll be right there, I'm just going to change real quick." He answers while taking off his top.

"Alright, hurry up. Now isn't a good time to be separated." Shoto says as he climbs the ladder, hearing Katsuki huff.

Katsuki reaches the top first, looking around. He's met with the sight of crows and more chained up coffins.

Shoto comes up after him, looking around he sees a bridge off to the side. And on the other side of that bridge was an ogre holding what looked like piece of a stone statue. It was standing in front of a door, and to it's right there was a small ladder.

The sound of another person climbing up the long ladder is heard.

Katsuki takes one look at the crows and scowls, not wanting to deal with them. He heads cross the bridge.

Shoto moves forward a bit to give Izuku space to get onto the platform. One of the crows spot him and starts to inch towards him.

Izuku finally gets up the ladder, and is met with the sight of Shoto fighting off crows, and Katsuki ripping out the guts of ogre from behind. He watches them both for a moment, feeling a twinge of..guilt? Yeah it was guilt. Or was it uselessness? He couldn't quite place the feeling.

Those two were off fufilling a promise to make sure someone was alright, and he was off exploring a place he didn't need to. He should have gone with them right away, instead he ended up wasting time. And for what? A few shards and some new clothes? He knew Kacchan was upset, he wasted time. He didn't do anything useful, he did _nothing_. Todoroki didn't show it, but he was probably annoyed by his actions as well...he just had more patience than Kacchan. But it was sure to snap sooner or later, because of him.

As more and more of these thought swirl in Midoriya's head he begins to lose focus of what was right in front of him. He wasn't staring at the coffins and crows in front of him, instead he was staring at the void of those thoughts. Listening to them repeat over and over in his mind.

"Midoriya!" Shoto says loudly, putting a hand on his shoulder; startling him.

"H-Huh?" He asks, snapped out of his thoughts.

"Are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for a minute." He says. Frowning when he only receives a nod as acknowledgement.

"I-I'm fine. Just thinking. You find anything?" He says after a minute.

"Oi! Get your asses over here! I ain't doing this shit on my own!" Katsuki yells.

Shoto sighs, walking and making sure Izuku was with him. "A glowing skull, and a few pebbles that look like eyes." He says as he walks across the bridge.

"Great, glowing skulls. Just what we need." Izuku sighs.

Shoto chuckles as he walks over to the ladder Katsuki was at.

"So, is the house up there?" Izuku asks, hearing what looks like a music box playing.

"I guess." Katsuki mutters. He looks at the two. "Ladies first..." He looks at Izuku's outfit, snorting.

"Seriously Deku, you look ridiculous. especially the damn hat. Your hair is sticking out everywhere, and I'm pretty sure that cloth around your neck is supposed to go over your mouth. I'm sure it'd at least get you to shut up."

He grins as he sees Izuku turn slightly red and rub the back of his neck. He sees him mumble something and head up the ladder.

Shoto rubs his eyes. "I honestly just have to wonder."

"None of your damn business." He yells, going up the ladder after Izuku.

Shoto heads up last, seeing the other two standing in front of the window. The house is clearly lit up, clearly housing someone.

Izuku reaches a hand in between the bars and knock on the window. "Hello?" All three hear a small gasp.

"Who...are you? I don't know your voice, but I know that smell...Are you hunters?"

The three look at each other before Shoto answers.

"Yes, we're hunters."

"Then, please, will you look for my mum? Daddy never came back from the hunt, and she went to find him, but now she's gone too...I'm all alone...and scared..." She trails off, a small whimper heard.

The three stare at the window, feeling pity for the girl.

Katsuki bites his cheek, he's heard that helpless tone before. At the time he didn't care, because that plea came from someone who challenged him.

"Yeah sure, why not? We're already wandering around, we may as well." Katsuki mutters.

"Really? Oh, thank you! My m-mum wears a red jewel brooch. It's so big and...and beautiful. You won't miss it. Oh, I mustn't forget. If you find my mum, give her this music box...it plays one of daddy's favorite songs. And when daddy forgets us we play it for him so he remembers. Please, I know you can do it."

The window opens slightly and a tiny, pale hand holds out a tiny music box.

Shoto takes the box and puts it in his bag.

Izuku speaks up as the window closes.

"Your dad, what does he look like? Just in case we find him before we find your mom...and what's his name?" He asks.

The little girl stays quiet for a moment.

"Daddy is very tall, and very strong he even has a big axe! He gives the best hugs! He wears black hunter clothes, and bandaged around his eyes. I'm not sure why...daddy never told me. His hair is gray, almost white. He has a scratchy beard." She laughs. "Please, if you find him. Tell him mommy's looking for him...and that I miss him." She says softly.

They're quiet, drawing out the description in their minds. Tall, black clothing, an axe, white hair, and covered eyes.

"And his name?" Izuku asks.

"My daddy's name is Gasoigne. Please...please find him and mommy."

 **-HotN-**

That be yet another 7K words everybody!

I'm surprised how long this chapter actually is, I expected it to be like 5K.

Welp, that didn't happen.

In other news I got my friend hooked on My Hero Academia, I had him watch like the first three episodes.

AND, while I was visiting family. I got my cousin hooked on MHA AND Bloodborne. She's pretty much waiting for summertime since that's when we'll be back and she KNOWS I'll bring Bloodborne (Her first videogame and I actaully couldn't be more proud), and my Hulu watching self. Since I have Hulu on my laptop we'll probably binge on the rest of the first season and second season. (We made it to like episode 4)

Fun fact: I actually planned on Katsuki getting the Hunter's Set. Buuut I wasn't sure how to pull that, especially since he and Shoto were on THAT side of the sewers.

ANYWAY, that's enough of my blabbering.

Have a nice day/night everybody

 **P.S I don't own Bloodborne or My Hero Academia**


	6. Chapter 6: Father Gascoigne

**Father Gascoigne**

After getting the rest of the needed details, Katsuki looked over to see a lever. He pulls it and watches the iron gate open, yet another shortcut.

The other two make their way down the ladder, then across the bridge. Katsuki had just jumped down from the ledge. not taking much damage. He catches up with the other two, thinking.

One of the last times he had talked to Eileen, she had said she was keeping an eye on Gascoigne, and this other guy named Henryk. She had warned him about them, how Gascoigne was on the brink of losing himself.

How likely is that though? How likely is that old guy going to turn when he _knows_ he has a family to return to? He might lose it, then wuss out, Katsuki mentally concluded.

He stopped thinking about it as his feet were suddenly submerged in sewer water. He huffs as he looks around, seeig the other two standing a bit ahead taking about something. Or were they talking about someone?

Izuku had looked over his shoulder to Katsuki, then looked back to Shoto. He then pointed ahead at something and shrugged.

"Oi! WHat the hell are you two talking about?" He yells, walking up to them. They turn around to look at him.

"Oh, Kacchan. We're just-"

"Are you talking trash about me punks?" He growls.

"N-No! Why would we do that? We're just coming up with a way to get through here." Izuku says, trying to shut down the false subject.

"Then why'd you look over at me then?" He growls, feeling he's lying.

"To make sure you were still with us and didn't run off. God knows what you were thinking about, and why." Shoto tells him.

"Shut up, why do we have to come up with a plan? Why shouldn't we just run through?"

"Because there are a few monsters down here, and at the end there's a ladder and a tunnel. We don't know whether to take the ladder or the tunnel, since there's bound to be something either way we go. And if we have to run back to regroup, it'd be better without all these things around. Then again, what if there's a little safe space somewhere around there?" Izuku thinks aloud. "Maybe the elevator is around here?"

Katsuki looks at him. "Elevator? Where the hell did you find an elevator?"

"While we were resting in a small area, there was a lever and a closed gate. It looked like it would be an elevator." Shoto answers.

They listen to the sounds of the sewers, the moans of legless monsters, the calm squawks of undisturbed crows. Deciding their next move.

"Let's just go through the tunnel, it's right there." Katsuki mutters as he pulls out the axe, walking forward to the monsters that begin to drag themselves towards him.

Izuku nods and pulls out the cane, he's about to walk forward until Shoto stops him.

"Hold on Midoriya. Here, I found this while we were heading over here." Shoto pulls out a weapon from his bag, the Saw Spear.

"Whoa..." Izuku takes it, looking over it. He presses the trigger and watches it unfold, just like the Saw Cleaver. He looks to his taller friend with a smile. "Thank you Todoroki!"

He smiles as he turns towards the monsters. "Now, I can fight." He runs after Katsuki, who had already cleared out the first set of monsters.

As Izuku runs off, Shoto turns around to look at the pile of bodies. There was a glow at the center, an obvious trap...but he was going to do it anyway.

He walks over the bodies, listening to the sounds of the other two fighting and the irritated moans. He kneels down and grabs the items, ten bullets.

As he pockets them he sees the creatures are finally disturbed, they begin to stir and prop themselves upright.

He huffs as he steps back. "I was hoping you would just stay there." He mutters as he brings the cleaver down on two of them. They recoil, one of them backs up. One of the other ones rush towards him, hurriedly pulling itself towards the boy.

Shoto looks around before reaching out his hand, he concentrates and feels that power welling up. As a few more of them pile on top of each other, trying to get to him. He narrows his eyes in effort as ice appears at his feet and races towards the creatures. It barely frosts over the first two before his power dies out. A dry well.

He growls as he swings the cleaver onto the frozen two, shattering them. As the other two see their comrades shattered, they begin to hurriedly reach for the hunter.

Shoto can't help but find it rather pathetic how they so desperately try to drag themselves when there was nothing to gain. Why did they try when all that waits for them is death by his hands? What do these monsters seek to gain by his death?

These questions run through Shoto's mind as he hacks away at the creatures, stepping back when one of them vomits up some kind of foul substance. Shoto huffs and throws a molotav cocktail, injuring many of them. After backing up a bit more to avoid more attacks that had them close the distance. It was after a few more feet the creatures froze, staring at Shoto as he stands at the top of a set of stairs.

They watch him, moaning, before scooting back, not interested in chasing anymore. It was too far, too difficult. The damn hunter was too far from their grasp.

Shoto takes a moment to watch them crawl away before turning around to catch up to the other two. He could hear them from where he was, Katsuki was yelling that they should just go through the tunnel. There wasn't anything down there anyway. Meanwhile Izuku tried to reason that going up the ladder might be more sensible, especially if there was the shortcut of the elevator waiting above.

"We don't have time for this." Shoto interrupts them. "Let's just go up the ladder, if there's something down the tunnel then we'll deal with it later. For all we know it'll just be a dead end, and we'll be no closer to the Cathedral Ward."

Katsuki glares at Shoto before huffing. He says nothing as he pushes past him and starts to climb up the ladder.

Shoto turns to Izuku to ask him something until Izuku just heads towards the ladder. He watches the two climb the ladder for a moment before heading up it himself. He had wanted to ask Izuku why he puts up with the tempermental boy. He doesn't seem to care, only showing anger and abuse to Izuku's kindness.

He can't quite understand it, why would one try to befriend such an cold, moody, angry person?

Then again Midoriya _is_ friends with _him_.

He gets to the top of the ladder to see Katsuki walking up a set of stairs, and Izuku running to a small enclosed space.

"Well shit." Katsuki mutters, he stares ahead. He's met with the sight of a large bridge, at the end of the bridge a mob of townsmen stand. Behind them, up a small set of stairs was a large ball and another man.

He frowns when he hears a click and the sound of something leaving. He looks at the space where Izuku had run off to. He sees a gate close, and the person inside, obviously Deku, rising. So the elevator _was_ there.

Shoto watches the elevator leave, sighing. A new shortcut.

"That'll be handy if any of us die." Shoto says, walking up to Katsuki. He looks ahead to see the mob.

Katsuki doesn't say anything as he extends his axe and beins to walk across the bridge, watching the mob. He raises an eyebrow when they don't charge. Were they waiting for all three?

He scowls when he hears another set of footsteps, then a second hurried set. They stop right behind him.

"Stay out of my way I can handle this on my own." He growls, looking over his shoulder to shoot a glare at Izuku.

"Shut up Bakugo, we're all here. We may as well all fight, besides. I don't like that they're waiting for us..." Shoto mutters

Izuku walks up to them, looking at the mob. "Since they're still waiting, they probably won't come after us until we're about halfway across the bridge. They'll probably use that giant ball for something, maybe try to hit us while we're distracted."

Katsuki waits for a moment, before running forward. "Well they can't use that thing if they're fucking dead!" He yells. As soon as he reaches the halfway point of the bridge, the townsmen begin to race towards him as well.

The other two run forward, not to help Katsuki, but to deal with that trap.

Katsuki stops running, planting his feet and getting in a stance. He waits for them to come closer, closer. Once they're close enough to strike him, Katsuki yells and spins around, the axe cutting into them all once, twice. He feels some of their warm blood splatter onto his face, he can't help but feel like it was so _satisfying_.

He frowns when he sees two of them get up weakly, one with a pitchfork and another with an axe. He's about to kill them when someone yells.

"Kacchan get out of the way!"

He looks up and sees a large, firey ball rolling quickly towards him. He grunts then moves to the side of the bridge, watching the two remaining men that were running a him be crushed and set aflame. He looks to where the ball came from and sees Izuku dealing with an ogre and Shoto finishing off a man hiding behind a useless wooden shield.

"Weren't you fuckers supposed to make sure that thing didn't get rolling!" He yells, watching Izuku getting beaten with a brick.

Shoto huffs as he distracts the ogre with two shots from his pistol, giving Izuku a chance to back up and heal.

"Well Bakugo, if you haven't noticed we were dealing with THIS!" Shoto growls as Izuku comes back and finishes the brute.

"You two took forever to kill that thing, damn you two are useless." He mutters as he heads up the stairs and begins to walk past the two.

"At least we dealt with it." Shoto huffs, walking with Katsuki when he notices a ladder off to the side. It led downwards, it must have lead to that tunnel.

"So I guess the tunnel _did_ lead somewhere." Izuku sighs. "To think we could have avoided all that."

"You two fuckmunches should have listened to me." Katsuki growls as he climbs a set of stairs, he stops when he sees two of the beast men. They stare at a statue, a glow coming from it.

Katsuki chuckles and tightens his grip on his axe, he steps forward until he's stopped by Izuku.

"Kacchan please don't. Let's just get to the Ward, they're not bothering anybody." He sighs.

"You talk about them like they're people." Katsuki mutters.

"And you act like we have to kill everything Kacchan." Izuku huffs.

"Shut up Deku." He growls, walking forward and standing behind the two monsters. He grins as he winds up his attack, a sheen of white light appears at the edge of he blade. He spins around twice, making one of the monsters slam into the all, and the other one fall over. He watches one with a slarve stick get up and run over to him, only to be cut down with a few more swipes from the axe.

The other beast had stayed down, the surprise attack doing a lot of damage.

Katsuki walks over to the two bodies and picks up a total of four more blood vials. He then walks over to the statue they were staring at and picks up two more of those marks Eileen gave him. He huffs, he had been expecting something a little bit more rewarding.

He throws the marks at the two. "It's more of that useless junk." He huffs. He looks ahead a bit to see ye another set of stairs.

"Guess that's the way to the Ward." Izuku says.

Shoto nods as he begins climbing the stairs, from the two doors he had tried to open he assumed there would be another building. At the far end would be the doors that led to the Ward.

None of them were expecting to be met with the sight of a gloomy graveyard.

The three stand at the entrance of the graveyard, looking at what could await them.

From where they stand they see a large statue, tilted to the side. Like someone had tried to knock it over. There are lamposts here and there, only a few are lit, the decorative statutes look miserable in their environment. Everywhere there are clusters of graves, the headstones are old and weathered. If anyone tried to make something out of the faint scratches they would fail. Nameless people in the ground, no longer remembered by the mad residents of the cursed city.

Now the various coffins scattered around made a bit more sense, they had no more room, no place to bury the deceased. Loved or not, they were locked in coffins; only to stand as reminders of the plague of death that stands in the city.

Against a wall to the right of the tomb, a large set of stairs that led to a long platform on top. To the right of the graveyard, connected to the platform is what looks like a small shed. From where they stand they see something hang haphazardly on it. On the platform, gates could barely be seen. But they were there.

They were snapped out of their state of observation when they hear a noise, a sick squelching noise and grunts of effort.

"What the fuck?" Katsuki mutters, a whisper he can't help.

Izuku's eyes dart around until they find what has to be the source of the noise. There, behind the large memorial for an unknown individual was a man. He raised his arm over is shoulder and brought it down on whatever he had killed. He was panting.

Izuku couldn't help but let his kind nature take over. He takes a few steps forward, sheathing his weapons. He stops in the middle of the area, where there are no graves.

"Midoriya what are you doing?" Shoto hisses, taking a few steps forward, but not completely following the boy.

Katsuki narrows his eyes walking over to a set of gravestones, he watches the man in black.

"Hello, sir? Are you alright?" Izuku asks, about to take another step forward until he sees the man stop. He sees something fall to the side, his eyes immediately dart to the object. He feels a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realizes it's an arm.

The man stands up straight, still facing the body he hacked to pieces.

"...Beasts all over the shop...You'll be one of them, sooner or later..." An amused chuckle escapes him, he turns around to face the three children.

He lets out a heavy breath, it's warmth creating a small puff of cloudy air.

Izuku's eyes widen in horror as he takes in the details of the man. He's huge, so tall. Black clothes, wielding an axe. his short, free white hair flows softly with the wind. He finally looks to where his eyes should be, expecting an irritated stare. Instead met with white bandages that somehow allow him sight.

"G-Gascoigne?" The young man takes a step back.

The man laughs as he races towards the boy.

"Midoriya get out of the way!" Shoto yells, watching his friend duck down and roll to the side to avoid the quick, brutal swipe of the weapon.

Izuku ran over to Shoto, getting his weapons out. "Todoroki that's..."

Katsuki runs over, pulling out his weapons as well. "Old crow lady told me about this asshole. Apparently he was on the brink." He growls.

Shoto looks at him. "You choose to tell us this NOW?"

The man stands where Izuku had previously been, staring at the three. A feral smile on his face.

"Three of you...this should be fun." He laughs as he runs at them again, jumping up.

The three had momentarily been taken by surprise by the speed of the man. All three move out of the way as the axe slams down onto the ground.

"Holy sh-" Katsuki had been cut off by a a gunshot, he had been shot by Gascoigne's pistol. Yet, it wasn't a single bullet, it acted like Deku's gun.

He stumbles back a bit, stunned for a moment. By the time he regains focus Gascoigne was already upon him, bringing the axe down on his blonde boy's torso.

He yells in pain as the the brutal weapon digs into his insides; no doubt shattering ribs and cutting into vital organs, then rips itself out. Leaving him in a daze of pain, barely able to move just in time.

The man is about to charge at Katsuki again before grunting in pain.

Izuku ran to the man who foolishly had be back turned, focusing on one enemy instead of all of them. He yells as he brings the closed saw spear down, cutting into the man's back. He manages to get in two good swipes before the man turns to him.

Before he could move out of the way he recieved a shot from the man's modified pistol, point blank.

Gascoigne smiles at the scream of pain the boy let out, falling to the ground and using one hand to cover his bleeding face. It was music to his ears to hear the future beast scream. Foolish boy, he couldn't tell if he was brave, or just an idiot for trying to save his comrade.

He turns around as he hears footsteps and yelling.

"You son of a bitch!" Katsuki yells, his hands outstretched.

As Gascoigne is about to raise his axe and slam him into the ground, his side was suddenly cut into by another cleaver. He growls as he looks down, seeing the strange dual haired boy cut into him.

As he's about to bring his axe down on Shoto's skull there was a crackle and a small explosion at the back of his head. He growls as he stumbles forward, he doesn't even turn around as he pulls out his pistol and fires. He heard the yell of pain, followed by a string of colorful words.

"You should really focus on what's in front of you!" Shoto yells as he places right hand on the man's chest. Channeling his energy, concentrating to create a thick spear of ice that would-

Before Shoto's efforts come into fruition the man grabs his arm and slams him into a cluster of graves. He coughs and gasps as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He gets up and rolls out of the way as the axe came down to impale him.

The three try to regroup at the center, to try and come up with a plan. Futile efforts, Gascoigne's was too fast and would always catch up on them, nearly killing one every time.

Shoto and Katsuki were currently dancing around the swipes of the axe. Each swipe coming closer and closer to striking them. Exhaustion from dodging and attempting to put in some damage was starting to show on Shoto's face, his movement becoming a bit slower as he tried to work with stamina that was quickly fleeting.

Gascoigne drags his axe behind him, sparks appearing where the axe was dragged with great force. He yells as sends the green haired boy flying into a wall. He turns around and shoots Shoto who was coming up behind him, watching him fall to his knees.

He quickly ran over and thrust his right hand into the boy's abdomen, feeling the blood pool into his hands, the slick innards being crushed in his grip. He yells as he rips out his guts, blood spraying everywhere. He watches the child fall over miraculously alive, running over with his axe raised to finish the job.

As Shoto fell over a small item fell from his bag, clattering to the ground and opening up. From it comes a short melody, a haunting lullaby.

As Gascoigne was about to bring behead Shoto he hears it, that lullaby. He stops, remembering something.

That melody, that was something he shared with someone right? A friend? A mentor? No, a family!

The three watch the man hold his head and scream something incoherently. Katsuki runs up to him, yelling as he cuts into the man's back. He gets a few good hits in as Izuku runs over, channeling One For All to have the strength to get Shoto to a safe spot so he could heal himself.

Katsuki back up as the man comes to, turning to him and bringing the weapon down upon the blonde's shoulder. That splatter of blood brought him back, that's right, that's what he was doing. Hunting beasts!

Izuku places Shoto at the foot of the stairs and is about to run off.

"Midoriya wait!" Shoto manages, coughing up a bit of blood as he reaches for his vials. He sees Izuku turn to him. "The music box! Use it!" He growls as he stabs himself in the leg.

Izuku nods and runs off, seeing the small box sit where it had been dropped. It stopped playing, so abruptly. Must be some kind of malfunction. He grabs it and runs over to where the two hunters are fighting.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Katsuki yells as he dodes to the side and cuts into the man's chest. A small victory.

The man jumps back and shoots him, watching him stumble back. He chuckles at those words, they seem familiar-like it's something he'd say.

Izuku runs over and extends the saw spear, yelling as he uses both of his hands to thrust it into the man's back, cutting into his back, trying to penetrate that thick skin.

Gasocigne yells in pain, stumbling forward. He reaches a hand to his back, grabbing the weapon and yanking it from the boy's hands. He tosses it to the side and turns to the child to strike him, instead to receive the scattered bullets of a blunderbuss.

He chuckles and licks his lips, tasting his own sweet blood. The stench of it as well, so wonderful.

"What's that smell?" He asks as he extends his axe. "The sweet blood, oh it sings to me. It's enough to make a man sick!" He laughs as he swings the axe in a wide ark and sends Izuku tumbling back with a severe laceration on his chest.

He backs up a bit as the man stalks towards him.

He looks around and sees Todoroki back on his feet, and Katsuki rushing towards the man that nearly killed him. Rage in his eyes.

He hurriedly pulls out he music box and opens it, as the melody plays the man brings the axe down on Izuku's chest.

The screams of pure agony delight the madman, as he brings the axe down again he hears it.

His head began to ache once again, another memory. Faces, blurred out yet still so familiar. He begins to yell as he holds his head. Their names! What were their names?

Shoto and Katsuki begins to mercilessly cut into the man as their friend fades away, his vitality gone. The music box fell from his grip and clattered to the ground at the man's feet.

Todoroki yells as he reaches out his left hand to the man, a small stream of flame appearing from his hand as the enemy hunter regains his senses and swipes at the two of them.

They back up, the axe barely grazing them.

Gascoigne yells as he jumps up and brings his axe down, narrowly missing Shoto. He then performs an uppercut with the axe, it catches him in the shoulder, sending Shoto tumbling back.

"Of course fucking Deku died! What the fuck is this!" Katsuki yells as he runs over, grabbing the now closed music box.

"Fucking- USE IT DAMN IT!" Shoto yells as he dodges a thrust from the far reaching axe.

Shoto was running out of blood vials, he knew this. Meaning he doesn't have that much room for mistakes anymore.

Katsuki lets out a "Tch" as he opens the music box, letting the sound of the melody fill the tense bloodstained atmosphere.

Shoto backsteps a spinning attack from Gascoigne, the clange of the axe cutting into the gravestones is spine-chilling.

As soon as the man is about to attack Shoto again, he hears it. Once again that sweet melody with so many muddled memories behind it. A face, a woman's face, he could almost make it out. There was something else, a voice...a woman's voice! Then his, a promise he can't remember making

 _"I'll be home soon, I promise."_

He screams in pain as his broken mind tries to make sense of these blurred memories. Memories he's not sure are _his_ anymore. Everything begins to ache, he's hit his limit he can't hold it back anymore. His horrible truth.

While Shoto and Katsuki hack away at the man, both nearly out of breath but still gving it their all; Izuku returns, passing through the fog wall.

From where Izuku stood, he could see his two friends cutting into the man mercilessly, as he had done to them. He runs over to grab his weapon until he notices the man beginning to glow, a loud growl that began to turn into a roar.

"KACCHAN! TODOROKI! GET AWAY FROM-"

He hasdn't been able to finish his warning, the man suddenly transforming into a large beast, similar to his former human self. He has to be at least 12 feet tall when he's not hunched over. His dark, bloodstained clothes are now ripped, especially at the arms. His hands were now terrifying claws that could rip anyone apart with a simple swipe.

The two boys had been knocked back from the man, crashing into the headstones.

The beast stands there for a moment, as if to process his new body, newfound power.

Izuku couldn't help but stare in horror at the man, the man they were supposed to find, to bring home. Was there...was there any way he could be reasoned with anymore?

His mouth opens, a single name coming from his stuttering mouth.

"G-G...Gascoigne?" He says, getting the beast's attention.

He roars loudly as he runs at the boy, jumping up and slamming his fists down, destroying a cluster of nameless headstones.

Izuku rolled forward, dodging the aerial dive.

"Oh fuck..." Katsuki mutters as he sits up. "What the hell was that?" He hears roars and crashing noises. The sounds of stone breaking, and the familiar yelps of a certain nerd.

Shoto hurriedly sits up, making himself a bit light-headed. "I think he just turned into a beast." He mutters as he gets up, looking to the source of the noises.

Izuku could be seen ducking and weaving, occasionally getting caught in a swipe or two. Right now he was pinned on the stairs, a set of claws imbedded into his shoulder.

"Bakugo get up!" Shoto yells as he takes the music box from him, running towards the beast and boy.

As the beast is about to bring his claw down, Izuku manages to steady his hands quick enough to pull out his blunderbuss and give the former hunter a face full of scattered bullets. He watches the beast backpedal for a moment, ripping his claw from the boy's shoulder.

Shoto runs up behind him and opens the music box, giving Izuku a chance to get out of the way and heal himself.

He steps back and winds up his saw cleaver, watching the beast hold his head and groan once more.

They memories begin to clear, her face, he can see it! Wait...that face...

 _"Gascoigne?"_

He had been hacking away at those madmen, losing himself in the pleasure of the kill. He had heard that voice, but was unable to recognize it.

 _A woman backing up, trying to run but she was too weak. She lost too much blood, she stares up at the man she used to know, that man she still loved._

No, he didn't...he couldn't have, not her not...

 _"Gascoigne." She watches the man raise his axe for the last time. "I forgive you."_

" ** _VIOLA!"_**

His scream of agony only came across as an enraged roar, what had he _done_?!

He was no better than them, than those monsters he would slay again and again.

He roars loudly, shedding unseen tears. _He_ was the monster.

The last of his coherent thoughts die out as he begins to register the pain of someone ripping out his innards from behind. He staggers forward before whirling around and grabbing the boy by his throat and slamming him against the wall. A strangled gasp of pain.

Katsuki yells as he runs over, hands outstretched to give the beast another taste of his explosions.

Before he can reach the beast, he threw Shoto at the blonde, making him fall over. He shoves the injured boy off of him and grabs his axe, seeing Gascoigne jump at him.

As the large beast crashes into more gravestones Izuku makes a mad dash to get his saw spear. He still has the cane, but there was no way it could do the damage he needed it to do.

Shoto sits up and sees Katsuki and Gascoigne dance around and hack away at each other, each blow led the other closer and closer to death. There was no time to heal, just to dodge and strike, dodge and strike.

Gascoigne finally manages to grab Katsuki, who had lost his balance while dodging backwards. His foot getting caught on a stray stone from a broken grave. He roars and slams him into the ground and throws him towards one of the miserable statues, shattering it.

Shoto gets to his feet and runs over to make sure Katsuki is alright, he receives a yell and a string of profanities to leave him alone. He watches Katsuki get up for a moment before running towards the beast that races towards Izuku.

Izuku dives for his weapon and extends it, turning around and thursting it forward.

 _'With how fast he's going, he won't be able to stop himself in-'_ Izuku's thoughts were cut off as Gascoigne crashed into him, yes stabbing himself with the spear, but also barreling the poor boy into the ground.

Izuku lets go of his saw spear and dashes to the side as the beast rips the weapon from his chest. Running around the large statue, knowing the man would give chase. And indeed he did, clawing down any small gravestone that stood in the way of his prey.

Katsuki growls as he gets up, his wounds stitching themselves together. He starts to run towards the beast, a quick plan forming in his mind.

"Deku! Knock him down!" He yells as he races towards the two. "Icyhot! Get the fuck over here!" He yells, seeing Izuku dodge another series of swipes.

"What?"

"Punch him you idiot!"

Izuku yells as he avoids another wide swipe, he needed an opening. He readies himself, he has to time this right.

As Gascoigne raises his arms above his head to smash Izuku, he fires the gun. Hearing that sound, he grits his teeth as he sheathes his gun and gets in a stance. He pulls back his fist and yells as he channels One For All throughout his body.

"SMASH!"

Gascoigne falls over, his head slamming into the large statue. As the beast pushes himself up to look at the boy it takes a swipe from the saw spear, right across his face. Cloth is heard tearing and a roar of pain and angr fills the world.

"Now Icyhot!" Katsuki yells as he dashes forward, running over to the dazed beast and slamming his axe on the right leg, a sickening crunch of bone.

Shoto yells as he raises the saw cleaver, bringing it down with as much force as he could on the other leg. Cutting through thick, tough flesh. Bone breaking under his sharp, serrated teeth of the weapon.

As soon as the two render his legs useless they back up, taking heavy gulps of hair and regaining their stamina. They step away from him and walk over to Izuku, meeting the beast face to face. They all stop with what they see from the struggling man.

His eyes, it was his eyes. They sent shivers down their spines.

Dark, scarred eyes that seem to hold nothing but bloodlust. But there, flickering for a moment, only for a second. A plea.

 _End me_

The roar as he reaches for them, was it anger or desperation?

 _End me!_

He swipes at them, unable to reach them. His begging only coming across as violent growls and roars.

 _Please..._

Katsuki pulls out his pistol...

 _END ME!_

A gunshot echoes throught the bloody graveyard.

A wail of agony follows the gunshot, a beast being put to rest. A burst of blue mist follows, his body disappearing.

A key clatters at their feet.

A lantern appears before the large statue.

Katsuki goes to light the lantern, while Shoto grabs the key and heads up the stairs; Izuku in tow.

Shoto and Izuku stand before the locked gate, their way to the Cathedral Ward.

As Shoto unlocks the large iron gate, Izuku noticed something. He sees that part of the railing at the far end was broken, a great force. He walks over to it and sees he can get to the small shed. He jumps down to the roof and looks around until a something catches his eyes.

He looks over to it and feels himself go cold wth what he sees.

The body of a woman, in a bloostained blue dress. Her dirty blonde hair tied up in a neat bun, a few stray hairs here and there. His eyes finally land on a small ornament at her neck. A bright, beautiful, red brooch.

He pales, and shakily walks over and kneels down, gently taking the ornament into his hands. He looks at the woman, covered in blood, he found it it somewhat miraculous that despite ot all, the brooch was clean.

"Oi! Deku! What the hell are you doing up there!" Katsuki yells, his irritated attitude bringing back some kind of sense of normalcy to Izuku.

He drops down and looks to the lantern, seeing the Messengers appear. He then looks to Katsuki and holds up the red brooch.

"We found her mom..."

 **-HotN-**

 **Wowie,** **that went well.**

 **Yup**

 **So, uh before I my temporary farewells I have answers for two questions that were asked**

 **Guest reviewer Charles asked if I'm going to include the DLC areas of the game, and my answer is yes. I'm going to include the Old Hunters DLC!**

 **And User SoulRaziel asked if there is going to be a time where they all split up and face bosses on their own.**

 **And my answer is yes, I already have a majority of it planned out, and as I write I literally vibrate with excitement as they get closer and closer to the Catheral Ward. So yeah, look forward to that everyone!**

 **WhElp, that's enough of my blabbering!**

 **Have a nice day/night everybody**

 **P.S. I do not own Bloodborne and My Hero Academia**


	7. Chapter 7: The Cathedral Ward

**The Cathedral War** **d**

Katsuki's eyes widened ever so slightly, his momentary shock covered up with a scowl. He grabs the brooch from Izuku and looks it over, seeing it matched every detail the girl gave them. On the back of it, the name Viola is carved.

"Oh shit." He mutters.

Izuku stays quiet for a moment before looking to his childhood friend. "What are we gonna tell her?" He asks.

Katsuki says nothing as he pockets the brooch, he looks up when he hears someone walking down the stairs.

Shoto leans over the railing, looking at them. "Is everything alright? I got the gate open."

Izuku looks to Shoto. "We'll be right there." He says, seeing Katsuki scoff and walk towards the stairs, following Shoto to the gate. He sighs as he goes to regain his blood echoes. Feeling a strong pull to a glowing puddle of blood.

He walks over and kneels down, raising an eyebrow. Those were his echoes, the power he's been able to collect through all the monsters he's killed. He wasn't sure what to think they were supposed to look like, they are called _Blood Echoes_ after all. He puts a hand to the small puddle and feels that strange, yet comforting energy rush thoughout his body. He lets out a shaky sigh as he stands up, the rush of all those echoes left him a bit light headed.

"Hurry up stupid Deku!" He hears Katsuki yell, he goes to run up the stairs, saying he'll be right there.

As he gets to the gate, seeing the others walk ahead he stops. He turns around to inspect the area.

The sound of a bell toll fills the air, but does not ease the feeling of of an enraged gaze.

"Midoriya?" Shoto asks, looking to his friend; letting Katsuki walk ahead. "Is everything alright?"

He slowly turns around and nods. "Yeah, I'm okay." He says, walking up to Shoto, through the gate. Even the presence of his friend doesn't ease that troubling feeling that seems to stick to the teen.

"Ugh, more fucking ladders." Katsuki growls as he walks through a small room full of water and trash pushed off to the side. He grumbles as he starts to climb the ladder.

"What were you and Bakugo talking about?" He asks as they trudge through the water, and to the ladder.

Izuku sighs as he rubs his eyes, earning a look of concern from Shoto. "I...I found her mom." He says. "Kacchan has the brooch." Looking up to see he's reached his destination.

"Oh." He stops, then thinks it over for a moment. They would have to...

"Oh no..."

Izuku nods and begins to climb the ladder. "I think Gascoigne may have done it." He says, hearing his friend climb after him.

"Fucker was crazy enough to do it." Katsuki mutters from above, hearing the other two talking. He looks around the study, seeing bookcases, a small table, and a chest. His attention immediately goes to the chest, walking over.

Izuku makes it to the top, looking around as he steps away to give Shoto room to get up. He walks over to the bookcase, pulling out a leatherbound book and looking to the cover. He raises an eyebrow, the cover is worn, the title faded.

Shoto makes it to the top and looks around. He sees Izuku reading through an old book, and Katsuki opening a chest with a large black box inside. Next to the chest is a small, narrow staircase leading upwards. He stares at it for a moment before his mind clicks, _the doors_.

He starts to head towards the stairs when Katsuki pulls out something from the box, and the Messengers appear.

"What the fuck do you want?" He growls at the creatures.

The other two watch the Messengers moan and reach for the strange tool, held above the their heads by the temperamental teen.

"I'm not giving this to you you little bastards!" Katsuki growls as he places the item back into the black box, closing it up. As he closes it a Messenger appears with a roll of blue paper, his friends help him open it and show it to the blonde.

Katsuki growls in annoyance as he kneels down to read it. As he reads it Shoto steps around him and heads up the stairs, as soon as he took the first step onto the stairs he feels the atmosephere around him instantly change. A strange quiet, calm feeling settles over him; prompting him to walk foward.

The voices of his two companions fade away as he climbs. He begins to think as he climbs, thoughts running through his mind.

Is the Chapel Dweller okay? Where in the Ward is the Grand Cathedral? Are there any normal people left? Are the monsters he met the only creatures left in that place?

He stops as he comes face to face with a set of familiar doors, ones he's seen from the other side. He sighs as he places his hands on the doors, starting to hear the voices of the other two.

"You didn't have to chuck it at them, especially if its such an old tool that can help us!" Midoriya says.

"If they want it they can fucking have it. And they can't die, so what makes you think they can feel pain? Stupid Deku." He hears Bakugo growl and a the sound of a punch.

Shoto pushes aginst the doors, finding they open rather easily. As the doors open he's met with a sweet smell that overflows into the study below. He walks into a the chapel, looking upon the place where he had awaken. He looks around to see if the friendly dewller was wtill there, and he was.

"Oh, what the fuck is that smell?" Katsuki complains as he walks in, about to shoot off another snarky comment when he stops himself. Looking around, a calm area filled with large pots. A few statutes down a set of stairs hold lanterns that don't dare shed light. There are a few candles here and there, only to burn the incense.

"Woah..." Izuku marvels at the chapel, feeling safe and comfortable there.

"Chapel Dweller?" Shoto walks over and kneels down to a figure draped in a red cloak, his bony hands clasped together as he stares to where the voice came from.

"Oh, hunter? Is that you?" He asks.

Izuku and Katsuki walk over, a bit alarmed at the creature (?) person (?) in front of them. But it talked, and it seems to be friendly.

Katsuki scowls as he looks to the dweller, the way he looks timid, helpless, and scared. He immediately saw it as another version of Deku, a creature that could be easily squashed and pushed around. And the way he talked, timid and scared, it was so irritating.

"Yeah, I managed to get back here. After I died while exploring I ended up in Central Yharnam." Shoto says, standing up. At least he's okay.

"I hadn't been able to sense you came back, the incense must have masked your sent. I had meant to ask something of you before you ran off."

Shoto raises an eyebrow. "And what is that?" He asks, he looks to the side to see Katsuki roll his eyes and walk out; while Izuku looks around the chapel a bit more. He tries to open a set of door off to the side.

"These hunts have everyone all locked up inside, waiting for it to end...It always does, always has, y'know, since forever. But it won't end nicely, not this time." He seemed scared, worried. "Even some folks hiding inside are goin' bad. The screams of wimminfolk, the stench of blood, the snarls of beasts...none of em's too uncommon now." He whimpers for a moment. "Yharnam's done fer, I tell ya."

Izuku looks over, his mind thinking.

 _These monsters really are common, coming out every night to kill people. If this happens presumably every night, where are all the hunters? It seems like they would be common in this place that has a great need for them. Are there any left? Where did they go? Was it one monster that may have killed them all? What is causing people to turn into these monsters?_

Shoto and the Chapel Dweller look over to the sound of the muttering boy.

"I-Is he...who is that? Is he alright?" the Dweller asks.

"That's my friend, Izuku Midoriya, a fellow hunter. Don't worry, he tends to do that a lot." Shoto reassures, smiling in amusement as he watches Izuku hold his chin and think aloud. Beginning to pace.

He turns back to the Dweller. "What is it you wanted to ask of me, of us?"

The Dweller looks back up to the source of the voice. "Please, if you spot anyone with their wits about 'em...Tell 'em about this here Oedon Chapel. They'll be safe here. The incense wards off the beasts. Spread the word...tell 'em to come on over, if you wouldn't mind..." His sentence devolves in a short fit of nervous, gasping laughter.

Shoto nods, then remembers the man is blind. "Oh course, I'll keep an eye out."

"Oh, thank you good hunter!" The Dweller says, hearing the boy walk away. Then a hum, the sound of a lantern being lit.

Shoto looks around, only seeing one person pacing around the chapel. He narrows his eyes. Where was Katsuki?

He gets his answer when he hears a gunshot, and a yell of victory.

"You have to be kidding me." Shoto huffs, looking out one of the openings and seeing a certain blonde fighting with one of the tall, ghoulish men that held a lantern and a large walking stick. Behind him, there was a dead one.

Shoto watches Katsuki get stabbed with the large stick a few times before he finally cuts it down.

"Having trouble there?" Shoto asks.

"Shut up asshole!" Katsuki yells, stabbing himself in the leg to heal himself.

As Shoto is about to say something Izuku bumps into him and makes him stumble, snapping Izuku out of of his muttering rampage.

"Oh, s-sorry Todoroki!" He quickly apologizes, backing up a bit.

"It's alright Midoriya." He says, walking outside. He looks up as he hears that sound again, the sound of heavy footsteps and a clanking weapon.

Izuku looks around the area before following Shoto out, thinking there would be something out there. There's always something somewhere, at least that's what it seems like.

"So, this is the Cathedral Ward..." Izuku says as he looks around, the orange sky casting a warm light on everything. "Great, more graves." He sees the courtyard has more clusters of graves.

Katsuki is seen looking around, two paths to take. "Where the fuck are we supposed to go?" He asks. Looking up when he sees a large giant walking up somewhere, a large axe in it's hands. He smiles, he can take that thing.

"I'm thinking we should head back to the Dream, we have a lot of Echoes and if we die we lose them." Izuku sighs as he starts to head back to the chapel.

"Speaking of Echoes..." Shoto mutters, heading down another one of the paths.

"What the..." Katsuki mutters, picking up a set of clothes from behind a few graves. They were lying in a neat pile next to a body. He looks at the clothes, then at the body. He shrugs nonchalantly and walks away.

"What did you find Ka..." Izuku trails off when he sees a strange black hole follow after his friend that was walking away. It missed him, leaving a small gust of wind where it's prey would have been seized.

"What are you gaping at Deku?" Katsuki asks as he walks over to the chapel.

"Y-You didn't see that?" Izuku asks, pointing to where that vortex had appeared.

"The fuck are you going on about Deku?"

You...okay." Izuku sighs, still looking to where that vortex had come from. Was he seeing things? Maybe.

Izuku makes a mental note to be careful around that area as he walks out. Maybe he shouldn't head to the dream, not yet. For sure there had to be more. A quick look around wouldn't hurt.

He starts to walk towards a set of stairs that leads to yet another large set of stairs off to the right and left. To the left there's a large gate that's been lifted. He hears the sound of large footsteps off to the right, so he opts to go left.

He heads down the stairs, a bit paranoid from the large footsteps.

As he walks down the stairs he sees an ogre standing and staring off into the distance. Surrounded by crows, the ground where he stood had suffered from some kind of strong impact. ANother ogre coming walking by, a sense of urgency almost. It has a a broken piece of a statue in it's hands, and it notices Izuku.

Katsuki finished changing, he stares at the top hat. He sees the Messengers look up expectantly, they wanted him to put it on. He swore he heard one of them laughing in their little moans, he scowls and throws the hat at them.

"The fuck are you laughing at you little fucks!" He yells, scaring them off. He sees one come back and drag the hat away, back to whatever void they go to.

He huffs as he looks around, looking to one of the other exits of the chapel. A place none of them haven't explored yet.

He heads out of the entrance, looking around. Off to the right of entrance was a wagon full of more coffins. Chained up and never to be open again.

There are a few withered tress next of old benches that were somehow untouched by all of the chaos that occured everywhere. To the left, a stone railing that overlooked the area that could be reached from the other door. He stands there, arms crossed and watching the small area. From one of the pahtways he sees a familiar head of red and white hair.

He opens his mouth to yell at him when theres a faint yell and a crash. He sees Icyhot run off to deal with whatever that was. He scoffs.

"Stupid Deku, idiot is probably causing trouble again." He mutters as he steps away, heading towards a large set of stairs with a gate at the end.

As he walks past the wagon one of the lantern bearing creatures surprises him, stabbing him with the chest and knocking him down.

"Motherfucker!" He yells, rolling back and getting back on his feet.

The creature walks quickly towards him and raises it's walking stick to strike him again. As it is about to raise it's stick again Katsuki shoots it in the chest, knocking it down to it's knees. He growls as he rushes over and rips the innards of the creature out.

He watches it fall back and stay down, he turns to explore the area a bit further. He sees a bunch of large crows hanging around a wall of the chapel, cawing and looking around. Their large, yellow eyes blinking and looking for something to focus their attention on.

He walks over, then immediately backs up when they all start flapping madly in the air, trying to peck at him with their oversized beaks. As soon as they land he rushes at them, hacking away at them and occasionally getting caught in a series of mad pecking when he got too cocky.

"Pieces of shit!" He yells as he finshes the last one off, he starts to head towards the stairs when he's assaulted by yet another crow that had taken interest in him while he was murdering it's bretheren.

As Katsuki quickly kills that crow, another one of those tall, white-clad humanoid creatures begins to head own the stairs. He looks up when he hears a low growl and a sees one of those things pointing at him. The lantern in his hands gives off a dull glow as he hurriedly walks to the blonde.

The boy rolls his eyes and shoots the Lantern Bearer and walks over as he falls to his knees, promptly ripping out his insides.

"Why are there so many of you-oh come on!" He yells as another one rushes down the stairs, having heard the sound of a gunshot. He sees this one doesn't have a lantern, just a walking stick. He walks towards it, seeing it run at him with the stick in the air.

As it's about to bring the weapon down he shoots it, repeating the attack that has taken out the others just like the ones from before.

He watches the now limp body tumble down the stairs, landing next to it's deceased friend. He walks up the stairs and looks around, not seeing anymore of those things. He then turns his attention to the large archway, closed off by a gate. He frowns as he walks over, knocking on the gate.

Solid metal, only opened through the other side. He stares at the gate for a while before grinning, wanting to try something.

He puts both of his hands on the gate, gritting his teeth as he focuses all of his power to his hands. His muscles tense as he yells, activating his quirk on the gate. As soon as the first explosion hit he was blown away by something, a reflective force from the gate. He yells as he lands near the stairs, he hadn't taken too much damage, just a few burns and scrapes.

"What the hell!" He yells, running over to look at the gate. Irritated when no damage had been done, not even a trace of the explosion he let off. He frowns as he puts his hands on the gate again, about to make another attempt when he stops.

He feels something from the gate, a hum of sorts. He feels it vibrate with energy, a protective power of sorts.

He narrows his eyes and tries to use his quirk, but feels the emptiness of the lack of power. He used it up for now.

He growls as he turns around to walk away, kicking a large piece of wood away, shattering it.

He makes his way down to the chapel again, then out the other exit. The other two idiots might have found something useful.

He looks up as he hears a loud moan, then a loud crashing noise. He runs through the small courtyard and up the set of stairs, seeing the two fighting with that large thing from earlier. It was slowly standing up from it's strike to the ground, he sees Deku had been flattened by that attack, struggling to get up.

Katsuki runs over, extending his axe. He thinks over his next move in his mind, something he had seen that Gascoigne guy do.

He jumps up and brings the axe down on the beast's leg, staggering it for a moment. Katsuki had lost his balance afterwards and fallen over from the weight of the axe.

He quickly backs up as the giant starts striking at the ground at random, obviously irriated.

"What the hell is this thing?" Katsuki asks as he runs back towards the thing, striking at the legs repeatedly.

"Another big thing that's faster than you think it'd be." Izuku mumbles as he gets up.

"You mean another monster you losers can't kill!" He and Shoto manage to end it, watching it fall back into a puff of blue mist. A bloodstone shard where the body fell, picked up by Shoto.

"At least these things are good for something." He mutters as he sees Izuku walk over to something, picking it up.

"In reterospect, I should have tried to close that gate." Izuku mutters, seeing a lever off to the side.

"What the hell were you even doing?" Shoto asks as he watches the green-nette look around, then look to the stairs that lead upward.

"I let that thing walk away, I wanted to see what was down there. I was dealing with two of those ogre things, and a few crows when the giant came back down the stairs." He says, looking to the dual-haired boy.

"Did you find anythig useful?" Katsuki crosses his arms as they come upon a yet another large gate.

"Just this..." Izuku says quietly, showing them a monocular.

"...Fucking Deku." Katsuki mutters as he walks towards the gate, looking at it. "Another one of these things." He mutters.

"Another one?" Shoto asks.

"Yeah, there's another big ass gate over there from the other chapel entrance." He huffs, putting a hand on the gate. There it is again, that protective power that vibrates throughout the barrier.

Suddenly a few Messengers come up with a roll of paper. They moan, gaining the attention of the three and unfold the paper.

 _'A special emblem is needed to unlock this gate.'_ The scroll reads.

"What, where are we supposed to get that?" Izuku asks, kneeling down. He sees the Messengers start to disappear back into the ground. "W-Wait no! Come back!" He groans as they leave.

"Fuckers." Katsuki mutters.

Shoto looks around and sighs. "We have a lot of Blood Echoes, and I think we're all running low on blood vials. Maybe we should head back to the Dream, Gehrman might have an idea where this 'emblem' is."

"Gehrman?" Izuku asks, confused.

"Oh, that's right I never told you. Come on, let's just get to the lamp. Maybe you can meet him youself."

"I seriously doubt that old man knows anything." Katsuki huffs.

 **-HotN-**

The Doll whispers silently to herself, kneeling in front of a grave next to the workshop. She keeps her eyes closed, but senses the little ones that stay next to her, looking at the grave.

She was never sure why, but she had always felt a pull to this grave. As if there was a missing piece of her left behind there, a piece of herself she would never get back. Still, she would pray at the grave, and push away the feeling of emptiness as much as she could.

"Are you sure the old fuck is here?" An angry voice yells.

"Hell if I know, but...where's Doll?"

She then feels a pair of eyes on her. "I think she's busy guys, maybe we shouldn't bother her."

"She's just praying, why the hell is something like that so important! Especially with all the shit happening in the other place! Isn't she supposed ot help us?"

"Come on Kacchan."

She smiles as she hears a small argument and threats made by the young man towards his more timid friend. Such livliness, such fire that drives them all to move forward. Such as the hunters that came before.

The three walk into the workshop, still as cluttered and slightly messy as ever. In the middle of the room, an old man sat in a wheelchair.

"Oh, so he IS here." Katsuki mutters.

"That's Gehrman?" Izuku asks, getting a nod from Shoto. "...You think he's a hunter?"

"It is rather rude to talk about those who are before you." The old man grumbles, looking up. He had been disturbed from his sleep when the blonde one began yelling. So irritating.

"A-Ah! I'm sorry, yes that was rather rude!" Izuku apologized, surprised and a bit flustered. He had thought the old man was asleep.

Gehrman sighs, leaning back in his chair. There he was, the third hunter. He had been curious that he hadn't seen him the first time.

He looks each one of the three in the eye before speaking.

"The moon is close. It will be a long hunt tonight. If the beasts loom large, and threaten to crush your spirits, seek a Holy Chalice. As every hunter before you has. A Holy Chalice will reveal the tomb of the gods...where hunters partake in communion..."

"Yeah old man, that's great and all but-"

"Most of the Holy Chalices lie deep within the tomb of the gods. And the few that found their way to the surface...Were lost again in the hands of men. But if the old hunter tales remain true...one of the Holy Chalices is worshipped in the valley hamlet."

"Valley Hamlet?" Izuku asks.

A soft sigh, containing sadness, old memories that come up as quickly as they were pushed back down.

"Yet the town is in disarray...It was burned and abandoned, for fear of the scourge, home now only to beasts." He looks up at them. "A perfect place for hunters, wouldn't you say?"

The three look at the old man. Did he WANT them to throw themselves headlong into beasts galore?

"Listen old man, Holy Chalices sound good and all, but we've got something more important." Katsuki starts. "There's this big ass gate, that apparently needs some kind of emblem to open it up. Do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, the gates to the Grand Cathedral are closed off?" The old man asks, adjusting himself slightly in the chair. "Sounds like you need the Hunter Chief Emblem." He mutters softly.

"Okay, and where are we supposed to get that?" Shoto asks.

They wait for a moment, waiting for an answer; until the old man began to snore.

"You can't be fucking serious." Katsuki says.

"Well he IS kinda old." Izuku defends.

"Kinda? He's a fucking prune!" Katsuki yells, going over to one of the tables and repairs his weapon. He looks up when he finishes the quick repair, there wasn't too much damage. "Do any of you have an extra blood shard?"

"Get your own Bakugo." Shoto huffs as he walks out.

"Fucker! Deku, give me one!" He demands, looking at the smaller boy angrily.

"I-I kinda need mine Kacchan. I think I have enough to foritify mine." He steps back.

"You do now? How much would it be worth it though, considering you can't really do shit with your weak weapon. I mean, you had to be saved by fucking Icyhot." Katsuki says, crossing his arms.

He smirks as he sees the nerd look down, he knows he hit something. A feeling of uselessness he knows the nerd should feel.

"I...I guess you're right." He reaches into his bag, then stops. "But still, I might have been able to take that thing on if I had a stronger weapon, and I need these in order to do that." He says, looking at him. "Let me know when you're done with the work station." He walks out, pracitcally _feeling_ the seething stare from his friend.

As soon as he reaches the foot of the stairs wher the Doll would be he sighs. Then goes into a mini panic. "Kacchan is gonna kill me!"

"Hm?" Shoto looks to him. "Oh, you refused to give him any of your shards?" He smiles.

"Yeah, and now he's probably really angry."

"Let him be." Shoto sighs, walking over to the Messenger's bath. "Come on, maybe we should some more blood vials before..." He stops when he sees something one of the Messenger is carrying, not to mention there's a second one, before there was only one.

It was just holding it, clinging tightly to the item. He looks at the Messenger. "What is that your holding? Hold on Midoriya." He says, seeig the boy about to buy more blood vials.

The Messenger quickly pulls out a scroll and shows it to Shoto.

 _'A cloth emblem that belonged to the captain of the Church hunters long ago. Opens the main gate that leads to the round plaza of the Great Cathedral. The main gate is shut tight on nights of the hunt, and could only be opened from the other side with this emblem. In other words, the captain's return, and this emblem, determines the end of the hunt.'_

"That's what we need!" Izuku says, his eyes lighting up. "Can we have it please?" He asks.

The Messenger hugs the emblem and shakes his head.

"Please?" Izuku asks.

The Messenger looks between the two hunters, one looking rather irritated by his refusal, and the other a bit more patient. It takes a moment before sinking back into the bath, then pulling out a piece of paper. They read it.

"10,000 ECHOES?!"

Katsuki looks up at the yells of the two idiots. He heard something like 10,000. 10,000 of what? He rolls his eyes as he steps away form the station, and heads out of the workshop. He takes a quick look at the old man before walking out again.

When he walks out he sees Shoto holding something in his hand. It looked like a piece of cloth, neatly folded. A few designs embroidered into it.

"I can't believe he wanted 10,000 Echoes for it." Shoto mutters.

"At least we were able to split it?" Izuku tries.

"So much power lost..."

"What are you two going on about?" Katsuki huffs as he walks over.

"We used a lot of our Echoes because a certain _Messenger_ didn't want to give the emblem up!" Shoto looks over his shoulder as he says this, scowling at the Messenger that gives a little wave.

"What the fuck is it?" He takes the emblem and looks at it.

"The Chief Hunter Emblem." Izuku answers.

"What? It was here? Wait...you fuckers used up all your Blood Echoes? For this?" He laughs.

"We still have some left." Shoto mutters, taking the emblem back

"...I'm gonna go get some more vials." Izuku sighs, going back to the Messenger Bath.

 **-HotN-**

"Alright, let's get this shit over with." Katsuki mutters as they walk out of the chapel.

"I'm pretty sure that was already the plan." Izuku tells him as he sees one of the Lantern Bearers coming towards him. He rolls to the side and strikes the humanoid beast before dodging to the side.

"Shut up Deku." Katsuki tells him as he shoots the second of the Lantern Bearers.

Shoto goes ahead of them to start dealing with the giant. He runs up the stairs and watches as it starts to head up the stairs. He takes a deep breath and presses the trigger of his cleaver, slowly walking forward. He manages to not disturb the giant from his walk, he watches it stop at the gates; staring at them.

He gets into a stance and winds up the cleaver, hearing a light hum as a white light coats the edge of the serrated blade. He brings the weapon down as the giant turns around, making it stumble a bit. He grunts as he keeps hacking away at the legs. There's not much muscle to cut through, under that seemingly bulky, ripped up robe was a very thin creature.

The giant yells as he raises the axe high and brings it down, missing the smaller target. It groans as it rests for a moment, regaining the energy it had quickly used up.

Shoto had dodged to the side and began hacking away at the arms, again, more bone than anything. Hardly any blood was being spilt, only the occasional crack from his weapon striking bone.

It gets up and looks down to the boy, it yells again as it thrusts the large axe forward. Catching Shoto in the chest and sending tumbling down the stairs, he groans as he sits up; seeing Izuku and Katsuki run up the stairs.

"You okay?" Izuku asks while Katsuki runs ahead, hearing his yells and the sound of mini explosions.

"I'm fine." Shoto mutters. "Why do these things come back when we leave? If we kill them, they should stay dead."

Izuku watches the giant stagger and fall down the stairs, disappearing ino a puff of blue mist, just like before.

"Gilbert did say this town in cursed, so maybe the curse causes these beasts to reform." Izuku puts a hand on his chin as he walks up the stairs with his friend.

"That may be true, but what part of the curse has monsters reform when a hunter leaves?" Shoto asks aloud, approaching the gate. They stare at the metal barrier, sounds of stomping footsteps heard on the other side.

"Well Icyhot?" Katsuki growls, watching Shoto step forward and pull the emblem out of his bag. He holds it out to the gate, watching the emblem start to glow in the presence of the gate.

There's a loud creak as the bell begins to toll, the gate slowly rises allowing them access to the plaza.

"Finally." Katsuki huffs, walking forward.

Ahead of them was yet another set of large gates, only they were opened. In the open round plaza were graves, so many graves. They were all arranged in a circle, currounding a large statute in the middle. The monument covered in graves at the base as well. Outside of the gate, off to the left was a lage wagon, more coffins, more nameless victims. Behind that, a pathway that looked like it leads to a backroad of some sort.

One of the Lantern Bearers was walking around the tree, except it had no lantern, in it's hand was a strange silver item.

The three take in the sight of the plaza before they hear it, loud pounding footsteps. They all look forward towards the open gates of the plaza, walking around the monument were two of those giants. Both wielding large axes, looking around for any intruders.

"More of these things?" Katsuki asks, irriated.

"Well they _are_ protecting the Grand Cathedral...at least I think they are." Shoto says, walking forward and looking through the bars off the metal wall and seeing yet another large gate.

"Didn't Gilbert say that the Cathedral was...you know, _in_ the Cathedral Ward?" Izuku looks at Shoto, earning an unamused frown.

"Whatever, come on." Katsuki says, starting to walk towards the gates, getting himself ready.

"Hold on Kacchan!" Izuku says, stopping the blonde. "I don't think we can go that way, there's probably another gate-"

"There is." Shoto interrupts quickly.

"And it's probably opened from the other side, so there's no use in going that way. There might be a way around though, there always has to be a way around. Maybe-"

"Deku, if you don't shut up I am going to kill you." Katsuki growls, holding the axe in front of Izuku's face.

Izuku quickly shut his mouth and stepped away, giving himself some distance from the impulsive teen. Only to hit the wagon.

"Who's to say the emblem won't work on the gates?" Katsuki asks, looking at Shoto.

"The Messengers said it'll only open this gate." Shoto answers, looking towards the backroad. "Either way, nothing is just going to open up for us. From what we've been told, everything is going to be on lockdown from the hunt. Everyone is trying to protect everything..." He watches a giant walk around the monument again. "Or...at least in their own twisted way I guess."

Izuku looks at Katsuki, then Shoto. "So, the backroad?"

Katsuki scowls at him for a moment. "Fine, the backroad." He mutters, heading towards the patrolling creature, getting it's attention.

"But I swear to god Deku, if this is waste of time, I'm going to-Fucking!" Katsuki was interrupted by a wave of flames from the device held by the creature.

It walks forward, it's hand still on the trigger of the device.

Izuku quickly runs to the side and strikes at the arm, making him falter and stop the flames. It had moaned at the boy before receiving a few blows to the chest with an axe. It fell quickly, crumbling to the ground. As the device frops from it's hands, three quicksilver bullets fall out of it.

Izuku picks up the bullets, pocketing them when he hears the loud sqauwking of a giant crow. Quickly dispatched by Shoto. Katsuki had gone ahead, taing care of yet another Lantern Bearer.

"How on earth did crows get affected by all this as well?" Shoto asks as he picks up a pebble, noting that it almost looks like an eye. "Even rats, and dogs." He mutters to himself, remembering the giant rats in the sewers.

"Maybe they were given blood as an experiment? And it just spread?" Izuku tries, feeling unsettled by the crow's dead eyes that seemed to stare at him.

"I agree with the thought of people doing it as an experiment...but how would it spread? Were they small back then, and when all the monsters started to appear they just grew?" Shoto thinks aloud.

"But what kind of blood were they given, to turn them into this?" Izuku starts to walk forward to where Katsuki is looting the body of the monster he just killed. "And, we were probably given the same kind of blood. What if we were to turn into things like these? What if we end up like Gascoigne, a hunter that-"

Katsuki flicks Izuku's forehead, making him stop. "Gascoigne was already a fucking nutcase, probably. And he's been here longer than us, and according to crazy crow lady, hunters go crazy after a long time." He starts to head down the stairs, seeing more coffins and a lit up window ahead. "And I don't intend to be here for a long time, so hurry the hell up so we can get to the damn cathedral and find a way out of here."

"Crazy..."

"He's talking about another hunter, we met her while you were getting your gun back." Shoto quickly explains, walking forward.

"Oh." He walks forward, walking into the backroad. From what looks like a manhole, there was smoke pouring out of it, covering up what's ahead. Through the smoke, a few lights from small lanterns, doors, and windows can be seen.

 _'People!'_ The thought ran through their minds. People that are still alive, still sane, people that may have the answers they need!

They look up and down the road, one end leading to a dead end; a lit up window and a small door off to the side. The other way leading further down, to more houses and who else knows what. They all make the silent agreement to see to every door, but before they split off Shoto stops them.

"Hold on, if either of you find anybody sane, or looking for a safe place; send them to the chapel." He tells them.

"What?" Katsuki looks at him, annoyed with the new responsibility.

"The Chapel Dweller asked to have anybody in need of a safe place sent to the chapel. The incense keeps the beasts away form the place."

Izuku nods, and starts to head down the road, his attention turning towards the lit up window. He notes the bars in front of them, and a few chains hanging from said bars.

As Katsuki and Shoto head the other way a gunshot is heard, a bullet grazing Shoto's cheek. A loud growl and stomping footsteps race towads them.

Katsuki swears as he dodges to the side, avoiding a blow from the weapon the man beast wields. It roars as it swings wildly, trying to catch the blonde in any of the blows. Another gunshot resounds, still aiming for Shoto, and still missing horribly.

Izuku and Shoto race past the manbeast to take care of the enemies ahead. Izuku only turning around and striking the man beast from behind, stunning it and giving his friend an opening to attack.

Another gunshot is heard, then muttereed words only heard by Shoto.

"You are cursed..." The townsman muttered. Earning a raised eyebrow from Shoto, he hadn't heard any of them say anything like that so far..

His small train of thought was interrupted by yet another gunshot, another gunman!

He dodges to the side as nother bullet is fired at him, he hears running behind him. Izuku.

Izuku stood at the start of the small area, more metal coffins, an area above with broken railing. He steps to the side to avoid a gunshot. As he stumbles over a chain connected to a coffin, he hears the sound of a dragging axe. He sees the flame of a torch heading down from what should be a winding stairway.

Their way up. Shoto notices the flame and quickly heads towards it. He sees a man with an axe, he comes to a sudden stop out of surprise at the hunter racing up to meet him. Shoto uses his pistol, making the man stumble back as Izuku races past.

Izuku runs past them and heads to the the gunman, grunting as he ends up taking a bullet to his shoulder. He stumbles back before regaining his footing and quickly taking down the man. He grabs two bullets from him before turning his attention to a small, cramped room he was guarding. There more of those townsmen, and another man beast; staring at a ladder for some reason.

As he's about to throw something to get the attention of just one of them, he hears a a yell from his childhood friend. Alerting the them all.

 _'Dammit Kacchan.'_ He mentally groans as he tries to step back, only to get caught in the wild an angry strikes of the man beast weilding a saw of some kind.

Katsuki growls as he catches the beasts in a wide swipe of the axe, spinning it around and catching them again, before raising it over his head and finishing off one man. He ends up getting a molotav pelted at him, turning around to kill the man only to get Shoto in the shoulder.

"Agh! Bakugo!" Shoto yells, ripping the axe from his shoulder. "Watch where you're swinging that damn thing!"

"Then don't get in the way Icyhot!" Katsuki yells back, taking his pistol and killing off another townsman.

Izuku huffs as he looks at them, hair messy and clothes bloodied...most of it his blood. He looks between the two before walking away, going off to see about those who were still alive indoors.

"I could kick your ass right here right now!" Katsuki yells.

"At the moment I highly doubt it." Shoto says in a low voice, keeping a straight face.

"My god..." Izuku mutters as he heads down the stairs, he bites his lip as the pain still radiates throughout his body as the skin and muscle stitches itself together. He quickly makes his way down the stairs and heads to the doors they had passed.

He appraches one, seeing the light under the door, and a lantern at the door.

"Heh heh...Praise you! Praise the whole damn church. And best of luck hunting! Best luck of all...heh heh..." A man mutters, mumbling to himself afterwards, seemingly unhapy with his presence. IZuku tries knocking again, trying to tell the man of Oedon Chapel, the safe haven. Only to be yelled at tand told to go away.

He goes up to yet another door, knocking on it.

"Ohh, we've the deepest gratitude. For the church, and all they do for us...The deepest, wildest gratitude, yes...Heh heh, yes..." A woman's voice, her shaky voice sending chills up and down the boy's spine. He tried again to tell someone of the chapel, only to hear a fit of giggles from the response.

He can't help but frown at the lack of progress, they were still people. They were somewhat sane but...did they just feel safer in their houses?

As he walks past another door he sees two townsmen appear from the fog, one getting up from the place he was resting at. Izuku sighs and dodges their swings, finishing them off rather easily. He quickly gathers the blood vials they drop, as he grabs them he stops. Noticng something hiding behind a wooden coffin.

He walks over, stepping over one of the metal coffins and pushes the wooden one off to the side. He raises an eyebrow as he sees yet another set of clothes. He kneels down and picks them up.

Black garbs with white cloth underneath, barely visible. There's a hat connected to the hood, it's black as well. A white scarf that drapes behimd the shoulder is embroidered with silver designs. The bottoms look like more of a skirt if anything, the black boots are long, and would clearly he hidden with the long bottoms. The white gloves contrasted greatly with the black attire, seeming to be from a completely different set.

"What the..." Izuku looks down when a few Messengers appear at his feet, carrying a blue scroll. He kneels down as they unroll it.

 _'This is the the attire of Healing Church hunter. The Holy Shawl symbol of the Healing Church, flutters proudly on their backs._

 _Most Healing Church hunters are elementary doctors who understand the importance of early prevention of the scourge, achieved by disposing victims, and even potential victims, before signs of sickness manifest themselves._

 _Their black attire is synonymous with fear, an that peculiar Yharnam madness.'_

Izuku reads over the note multiple times, again and again before looking back to the clothes he held in his hands. The church, had hunters? He thought there was only hunters...just hunters. Did this 'Healing Church' create the hunters? The people who would wear clothes like these were hunters, except they killed them all early on.

As Izuku's mind spirals into a series of theories and questions he suddenly stops. He takes a deep breath and puts the clothes into his bag, heading down the street. He hears a few strange mumblings, full of nonsense. He keeps walking down the street until it he reaches the dead end. He looks to the lit up window and the door with a lit lantern.

With a sigh he walks over to the door and knocks on it, expecting more phrases that made no sense...or almost no sense.

"Oh, my, what a queer scent...But I'd take it over stench of blood and beasts any day." Silence for a moment. "What is it, then? I'm off during hunts, so if that's what your're here for, I'll leave you to your own devices. If that doesn't do it, come back in the morning darling." The woman says, a smirk in her words.

Izuku takes a moment to process her words, his face flushing after a moment.

"N-No! That's not why I-I'm here!" He says loudly, his face hot.

"Oh?" The woman asks.

"I-I came here to see if anybody n-needed a safe place!" He continues. "A-And I guess-"

"I'm fine darling, I have plenty of incense to spare. It should be enough to get me through the night." She says, turning down his offer for a haven.

"Well...o-okay then! Nice talking with you!" He quickly walks away, his face still red. As he passes the window he hears a voice call out.

"You..." A man's voice. "You're not from around here, are ya? What, an outsider, who's come to join the hunt? What a pathetic idea."

"Why is it-" Izuku starts, only to be cut off.

"You what? What you, think I'm a beast? Well, maybe I think you're a beast! And step away from my castle!" He yells.

"Castle? But it's...it's a-"

"Ohh, enough of you! What, you think this is funny? Well, I certainly don't, so be gone with ya! I'll have nothing to do with your beast hunts!" He cuts Izuku off again, thinking the boy is just opening his mouth to spout nonsense.

Izuku is about to respond, then stops. It's evident that the man won't listen to him, he probably wouldn't believe anything Izuku said anyway.

He sighs and shakes his head, heading back up the road. As he walks he hears the angry yells of his friend.

"Fucking Icyhot! Get the hell back here so I can kick your ass!" Katsuki yells.

"Make me." Shoto mutters as he walks away from the blonde, sporting a swollen cheek and a bloody nose. Before walking away from the metal coffin he managed to freeze Katsuki to, he looked down the road to see Izuku walking towards them.

Izuku stops, looking at Katsuki who was frozen to a coffin, yelling and trying to use his spent quirk to thaw the ice.

"What did I miss?" Izuku asks after a moment, walking over to Katsuki to try and help him. Only to be screamed at.

"Bakugo and I were fighting, and I settled it." He looks to the quickly melting ice. "For now anyway."

"ICYHOT!" Katsuki yells, the ice cracking.

"I'm surprised you two didn't use your weapons." Izuku says, looking over the railing and seeing Katsuki starting to get free.

"Oh, we almost did." He mutters, heading towards the ladder.

"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" KAtsuki yells as he finally gets free, running up the stairs to get to Shoto, who was already climbing the ladder.

"Kacchan! Calm down, let's just-"

"Out of my way Deku!" Katsuki pushes him aside and tries to get to the ladder, only to be grabbed by the boy. "Don't fucking touch me Deku!"

"Then calm down! You picked a fight, a-and you lost! We don't have time to fight, we shouldn't be using up our energy! So just get over it!" Izuku snaps, then stops, realizing he raised his voice.

Katsuki scowls.

"Getting a bit brave there, Deku." He growls, yanking his arm out of Izuku's grasp. He glares at Izuku, making the boy take a step back a bit. An explosion crackles from his palm.

Izuku opens his mouth, then closes it. He quickly walks past Katsuki, starting to climb up the ladder.

Shoto walks across a small bridge to a platform that overlooks the area of the Cathedral Ward. He looks behind him to see Izuku and Katsuki on the small bridge as well. He sees KAtsuki push Izuku to the side and walk across, growling at Shoto as he passes.

"Now where the fuck to we go from here?" He asks, looking around.

"How about you take a moment to look around before asking that? I doubt that this is a dead end." Shoto mutters, taking a look around. From where he stands he can see the plaza, and the two giants that patrol around the stone monument. The chapel can somewhat be seen from the distance.

"Shut up." He mutters, stepping around a dead body. He walks over to a ledge, peeking over. There he sees another small ledge poking out from a lower part of the building. Further down is the roof of another building. He looks a bit further and sees the building is on what should be the other side of the gate.

He grins and jumps down.

Shoto looks to where Katsuki was, raising an eyerow as he walks over.

Izuku is still staring at the scenery. As he notices Shoto starting to walk away his eye catches something on the ground. He stops, then kneels down. Picking up a piece of paper.

"What's this?" He asks aloud as Shoto drops down.

 _'A watchman at Byrgenwerth guards the gate with a password, the sacred adage of the Grand Cathedral.'_

"Midoriya!" Shoto yells.

"Get down here Deku!"

Izuku reads over the note again before shoving it into his bag.

"I'm coming!" He runs over to the ledge he had seen the other two jump off of.

He lands on the first ledge, spotting the other two. From where he stood he could hear a dog barking. He jumped down on top of roof of the building below, as he walks across the roof he hears the fireing of a pistol, courtesy of Katsuki. The dog was silenced, no longer an alarm for whatever there could be below.

"So, where are we now?" Izuku asks. Walking up to a wooden ladder.

"We're on the otherside of the gate idiot." Katsuki answers, jumping down as he spots two more of those Lantern Bearers.

"If we're on the otherside that means that there's a..." Izuku's eyes dart around. "There! A lever!" He points it out to Shoto.

"If there's a gate over here, then there's probably another one over there. Didn't Bakugo say there was another one?" Shoto asks as they jump down.

"Yeah, there's probably another one over there." Izuku points to an open area, he whirls around and shoots the second lantern bearer, stopping him in his tracks. As he disposes of it Shoto runs over to the lever and pulls it, he watches as the gate shakes for a moment. With a loud creak the gate rises, giving them access to the round plaza.

Izuku picks up a blood vial the creature drops, then sprints over to the next area.

"Where's Deku going?" Katsuki asks as he starts to climb the stairs, followed by Shoto.

There, they see it! Up all of these stairs, past all of these monsters- the Grand Cathedral!

"He's going to the other gate." Shoto answers, looking up when he hears a gunshot.

"Holy shit! You HAVE to be kidding me!" Katsuki yells, putting his axe in it's full form. Two more of those Watchmen stood at the top of pillars of some kind. One with a large, glowing blue scythe. The other with a pistol. Coming down from where it was disturbed, yet another giant comes lumbering down.

"Don't tell me you expected this to be easy." Shoto huffs, bracing himself to run forward and make a dash to the gunman. The giant isn't fast, and he could probably jump down before the thing could do any real damage.

"No, but I'm already sick of these things." Explosions crackle in his left palm. He yells as he runs forward, straight for the giant.

As he runs, he spots Izuku running up a set of stairs from the side, charging at the scythe wielder. It had noticed him too late, earning fist to the face, then a slice to the chest. It fell from the ledge. He figured fall damage would take care the rest.

Shoto still had the attention of the gunman, dodging the bullets that were fired at him rather quickly. While the creature was reloading the gun, Shoto rushed up and put his hand to it's face. He grunts as he sends ice through it's skull, watching it fall to the ground in death.

He turns around when the ground trembles from the slam of a giant axe to the ground. The giant had used it's strong attack, and was now recovering. Taking the blows Katsuki and Izuku dished out. He ran towards them, seeing burn marks on the legs of the giant. Katsuki.

Izuku steps back when Katsuki does his spinning attack, not wanting to be caught in that. The giant almost loses it's balance while getting it up, it then strikes it's axe on the ground repeatedly, trying to flatten the three. In it's frustration it misses them, then tries a swipe of the axe.

It shifts it's weight to one foot and raises the axe above it's head.

"Stupid move asshole!" Katsuki yells, swinging his axe at the supoorting leg. He watches the giant lose it's balance, further lost when Izuku cuts away at the ankle, tearing through what little muscle there is.

The giant lets out it's deep yells as it falls to the ground, disappearing in a puff of blue mist.

Izuku walks over and gets two blood vials, he tosses one to each of the other two. He came a bit late to the battle. He thought he shouldn't really get the rewards.

"The cathedral is just up ahead right?" Izuku asks.

"Where the hell else would it be?" Katsuki looks at him, then starts to head up the stairs. He takes a look around, seeing the stone railings on the stairs, the kneeling statues that hold up lanterns. The bits of ivy that subtly decorate the base of the small statues, the leaves withered and dry. They reach another platform, a bit large. It has open area on either side, but at the base and top of the stairs was yet another tall creature similar to the Lantern Bearers.

They were different from the other ones though. These two wore black attire, and carried rather large, wooden poles. They had a total of three points.

All three stopped when the first one began walking towards them, then the second began to descend down the stairs.

"These two should be easy enough." Shoto muttering, pulling out his pistol.

Katsuki says nothing as he heads towards the first one, keeping an eye on the other one as well. He pulls out his gun as the creature points the crucifix towards him. He doesn'y notice Izuku starting to walk towards them, his eyes darting between the enemies.

Katsuki grips his axe tightly as the monster rushes towards him. He quickly raises his gun at the monster and backs up a bit, he fires the gun as the creature runs at him, not falling to his knees. It had taken the bullet head on, yet it hadn't staggered.

"Dammit!" Katsuki curses as he tries to step to the side, as he was about to raise his axe he's smacked with the crucifix. He falls to the ground and rolls away from the large weapon, as he gets to his feet and dashes to the side of Crucifux Bearer he begins to hear a high pitch ringing in his ear.

"So these don't stagger as easily..." Shoot mutters as he dodges a swipe, then another. While Shoto tries to get a swipe of his cleaver in Izuku comes up from behind and brings his saw spear on the creature's back. It falls to the ground, stunned.

While Izuku takes care of it Shoto runs over and ambushes the Crucifix Bearer as it was about to strike Katsuki once again.

"Bakugo! What are you doing?" Shoto yells as he behead the creature. He huffs as the body falls the to ground, stepping over it to get to Katsuki, who was standing still, trembling.

"Bakugo, answer me da-" Shoto was cut off when Katsuki's body suddenly seem to explode in blood.

"Kacchan!" Izuku yells, running over.

Katsuki fell to his knees, coughing up blood violently, his nose bleeding simultaneously. He seemed to be choking on his own blood, his body seeming to reject it almost. At least, that's what it looked like.

"What...the..." Katsuki managed until coughing again, there was still ringing in his ears but it slowly began to die down. He pushed away the hand that had tried to help him up, getting up on unsteady legs.

"What the hell happened to you?" Shoto asks, seeing the blonde start to head up the stairs again. While he follows, he takes note of two open areas on either side of the stairs. As he climbs the stairs he sees off to the right of the cathedral is a pathway, no doubt leading to somewhere. To the left of the stairs there's another pathway, but a there is a bit more ivy creeping in that area.

Izuku keeps walking up the stairs, ahead of Katsuki. He sighs as he approaches the impossibly large doors. Here it is, their answeres. The place Gilbert told them was their best chance.

As he walks up to the doors he has a nagging feeling at the back of his head, a small voice that tells him not to go inside. Telling him there's too much to discover, that what lies behind this door will only hinder their quest for answers. A voice telling him- ' _not yet!_ '

He manages to push the voice in his head down, walking up to the large doors. He looks behind him when he hears a loud thump.

Katsuki had lost his footing, still recovering from his frenzy. He clings to the stone railing while he gets a vial ready. As he stabs himself in the leg Todoroki goes over and grabs his arms, slinging one of Katsuki's arms over his shoulder.

"Get off of me Icyhot." He growls.

"And let you tumble down the stairs? I'd love to, but I don't have time to be smug at you getting your just deserts for being a pain in the ass. Especially since we're right here." Shoto shoots a glare at him, mirroring the one he's receiving.

"Please be nice Kaccahn, Todoroki is just trying to help." He says as the two make their way up the stairs. He sighs as he turns back to the doors.

He hears the two stop behind him as he takes a step forward, putting his hands on the doors.

He suddenly goes rigid, shivers running up and down his spine. That little voice that he previously pushed down was now screaming at him. His reality began to fade away as a dark presence seemed to radiate from the cathedral. His instincts scream at him to run away form the unnatural presence that sees to loom inside. He has the sudden urge to run away, and never look back. He couldn't explain it, there was indeed one monster here; but he felt something bigger in there. Something like a darker, more shadowy presence that rears it's head in the presence of the three hunters.

"-Hey! Stupid Deku!" Izuku was thrust back into reality when he was shoved to the side by Katsuki, stumbling over yet managing to stay on his feet despite his stunned state. He looks to his friend as he puts his hands on the doors.

As Katsuki begins to push open the heavy doors, Izuku suddenly grabs his arm and roughly pulls him away. Almost forcing him to the ground.

"Deku what the-"

"Don't!" He yells, the fear in his voice echoing throughout the ward. He's trembling so badly, even Katsuki is shaking a bit.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow, looking down on him.

"Midoriya, is everything alright?" Shoto steps forward, he had seen the sudden shock and fear come over the boy. Something that should never happen to anyone with the mere action of opening a door.

"Yeah, what's your deal Deku?" Katuki takes his arm back, scowling at the smaller boy.

"Huh?" He straightens up, looking at his childhood friend. Had he not felt it? That overwhelming presence?

"O-Oh...I just. W-We still have things to do! Yeah w-we're eager to get here, where we're supposedly supposed to go...but we still have a job to d-do!" He says, his hands shaking terribly; he tries to control that. "And! T-This place is huge! How sure are we t-that what we need is in there! There are so many more places to explore! There's that place that T-Todoroki went to! I'm sure there was more to that area than you uh, think right?" He stammers, sweat dripping down his face.

"Yes, I feel that there's to that small church than one thinks. The only reason I went over there was to reclaim my echoes." Shoto explains.

"Yeah so what? What the hell else is there?" Katsuki steps forward, making the already scared boy even more nervous.

"If you failed to notice Bakugo, which you clearly did. There are two more area to explore, one on either side of the cathedral." Shoto says, answering before Izuku could. He knew the boy had seen the other two pathways as well.

"And even then! We s-still have a promise to k-keep!" Izuku adds, his mind going back to the litte girl. The girl that waits for them, waiting for some kind of news on her parents.

"Oh, and what promise is that you idiot?" Katsuki asks, mentally hoping it wasn't that little girl. It'd be a pain in the ass to run all the way over to her house, even if they used a lantern that was close by.

"The l-little girl!" Izuku answers. He frowns when he sees Katsuki's expression shift into an annyoyed, displeased one.

"K-Kacchan that girl deserves to know what ha-happened! Even if it's a bad thing, she s-should know what happened!" He takes a step towards Katsuki. "If it were your parents, wouldn't you wanna know?" He asks, not even able to register the movement of Katsuki until a fist was planted in his face. Making him fall back.

"Shut up Deku, I get the point!" Katsuki yells. "After we deal with that brat then what? Will you have the balls to go in there then?" He points to the Grand Cathedral.

"I think the wisest decision, is to split up and go to different areas. Isn't that what you were implying Izuku?" Shoto helps him up.

"What! N-No I uh-"

"Good, the less time I have to spend with you two idots the better." Katsuki huffs. He walks over to where he can better see the two pathways, looking between the two for a moment.

"When we get back, I'm going this way." He points to the left path. "And if any of you follow me, I'm gonna kick your asses." He growls, explosions crackling from his palms. He starts to head down the stairs, the other two following.

"I'll be heading back towards that chapel again." Shoto sighs.

Izuku sighs. "I guess that leaves me..." He looks to the right path as he passes it.

Shoto nods, sighing as he pulls out the music box.

As the three walk back to Oeden's Chapel, to deliver their news; a haunting yet calming melody fills the air. And an old crow watches them.

 **-HotN-**

 **Wooooooow guys I am so, so so sorry! This came out really late, I meant to finish this up and post it on Friday. But clearly, that did not happen. This past week had just been really draining.**

 **But I finally got it done! Yay! Huzzah! Now I'm gonna sleep until noon, night guys.**

 **Have a nice day/night everybody!**

 **P.S. I don't own Bloodborne or My Hero Academia**


	8. A Little Girl from a Window

**A Little Girl** **from a Window**

The three had quickly made their way to the chapel, using the lamp to enter the safety of the dream. They left as quickly as they had come, gathered around the first gravestone to transpart to a different lamp.

"The Central Yharnam Lamp?" Izuku asks, looking to the other two.

"And go all the way around?" Shoto looks at him.

"No you idiot, we'll use the backway. We'll just climb on the dog cages and go from there." Katsuki snaps, kneeling down and putting a hand to the grave. He slowly disappears, followed by Izuku and Shoto.

The Doll watches from where she usually sits, having gone unnoticed by the three hunters. She hums to herself as they disappear, a look of amusement on her face.

"Good hunters, do you intend to change fate?" She asks aloud. She stands up, going over to the grave she is so often drawn to, kneeling down. "I will pray that you are successful good hunters, and that you may find your worth in the waking world."

 **-HotN-**

Izuku stretches as he appears at the lamp, the process of their bodies being carried through the strange space that is the in between the dream and the 'waking world' isn't very comfortable. He shakes his head as he looks around, seeing the other two heading towards the now opened gate by Gilbert's window.

He quickly runs to catch up with the other two, seeing Shoto deal with the man at the base of the stairs.

"So, about telling the girl..." Izuku starts, noticing the glare from Katsuki. "Which one of us is gonna do it?" He asks, suddenly rushing forward to clash with the man that hides in the shadows. He tried to catch them off guard, only to fail and end up with a spear through the gut.

"Which one of us has the brooch?" Shoto asks, looking at the other two.

"Kacchan took it from me so..." Izuku looks his friend.

Katsuki stops, then looks through his bag, earning looks of confusion from the other two. Until he throws the brooch at Izuku, who catches it in a fluster.

"There, now you have it back. You found it first after all." He mutters as he turns around the corner, seeing two dogs are already out of their cages.

Shoto sidesteps as a dog jumps at him, shoot it as soon as it landed. It was sent flying as he dealt with the other one, leaving injured one to the other two. Izuku quickly grabbed his spear and finished it off.

Katsuki walks past them and kills the dog in the cage near the broken railing.

Izuku looks at the brooch, seeing his reflection in the bright ornament. _He_ had to tell her? Why couldn't Kacchan?

He quickly pockets the brooch, going over to the cage that Katsuki climbs on top of. He watches the blonde push rotting, wooden coffins out of the way. He grabs a sturdy part of the metal railing and pulls himself up, and uses his legs to push himself off to get to the open platform. Shoto follows, climbing onto the cage and jumping up to the open area.

Izuku comes after the two, making his way up slowly. Trying to delay the news as much as possible.

"Get up here Deku." Katsuki growls. He reaches over and grabs Izuku's arm, pulling him up roughly and dropping him. Leaving his legs dangling from the small fall.

Izuku sighs as he pushes himself up, seeing the other two waiting for him. The three stood there for a moment, waiting for someone to walk forward. Nobody moves until Katsuki shoves Izuku forward.

Izuku counts that as a prompt to walk forward, feeling the glare from Katsuki. Who would surely pummel him if he didn't get moving on his own.

They walk past the crows and the ogre that pounds on the door, slowing their pace with every step. As they get closer and closer to the opened gate that hides the window behind it, a heavy weight begins to press down on them. An overwhelming feelig of sadness and guilt, a promise that went wrong. Oh so wrong.

Izuku feels his stomach begin to churn, how exactly does one give that kind of news to a little girl? What is he supposed to do, go up to the window and say ' _hey, not only did we find your mom. But we killed your dad._ '

"Midoriya." Shoto nudges him softly, and he realizes he was muttering again. He looks up and sees the lit up window, it seems to loom over the three.

Katsuki looks to the nerd. "Well?" He asks, his voice low.

Shoto watches Izuku lift his hand, tapping on the window. He hears the sound of small footsteps that stop at the window, he can practically feel the excited aura of the girl. She probably thinks they came back with her parents.

"Hello mister hunters. Still can't find my mum?" The little girl asks, that hope for a ' _no_ ' in her voice.

Izuku feels his throat close up, like he's choking on his own breath. He pulls out the brooch with a shaky hand, looking down at it, then at the window.

Katsuki huffs and crosses his arms, saying nothing as he looks away.

"Well...uh...actually..." Izuku says, trying to plan out his words carefully.

Shoto watches him, his eyes darting between the brooch and the window. Wasn't there something else they could tell her? Bend the truth? He knows Midoriya wouldn;t like that, even if it might be for the better. He _is_ an honest person.

"Is everything alright mister hunter?" The girl asks.

"Yes! No! Uh...well, we have to tell you. We-" Izuku stops as Shoto swiped the brooch from him.

"Todoroki?" Izuku looks at him, watching the dual haired boy inspect the brooch further. He sighs after a moment, before raising his fist; and bringing it down hard on the brooch. Crushing it, leaving only a dazzling red jewel behind.

"What the fuck Icyhot!" Katsuki yells.

"Todoroki why would you do that!" Izuku says loudly.

"Mister hunters? What's wrong?" The little girl asks, a bit scared.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine." Todoroki sighs, stepping forward. "We haven't found your parents yet but we found a safe place for you to stay in the mean time."

"A safe place?" The girl asks.

"Yes, Oeden Chapel. More and more beasts are appearing around here, it won't be safe forever. Do you know where it is?" He asks.

"Yes, I do! Thank you, mister hunter! I love you almost as much as mum and dad, and granddad!" She says, happiness filling her voice.

Katsuki huffs. "You think you can get there on your own?" He asks, glaring at Shoto.

Izuku seemed relieved, but still a bit upset over the brooch.

"I-I can...don't worry mister hunter..." The girl says, not liking the tone he has.

"Wait hold on! Kacchan we can't just leave her, there are monsters all over the sewers!"

"So what, she said she knows her way around this place. She should get there fine."

"I can get there...o-on my own! I promise! I don't want to get in your way..." She says that last part quietly.

"It'd be no trouble to take you there, really." Izuku says, liking this option. "We have to head over there anyway, so we can get you there safely!"

"Shut up Deku!"

"Be nice Kacchan!"

The girl hears the sound of of fighting, a small scuffle. She bites her lip, not sure what to do.

"Bakugo! Leave Midoriya alone! So, would you like to us to take you to Oeden Chapel?" One of the hunters asks, the one that made the offer in the first place.

"Could you? Really?" She asks, relief filling her voice.

"Of course!" Izuku says.

"I guess so." Katsuki mutters.

Shoto glares at Katsuki, then looks to the window. "We're going to be right back, how about you pack up while we go get something." Shoto tells the little girl.

"O-Okay...please, just don't leave without me." The girl says, stepping away from the window. The sounds of things being moved around is heard from where they stand.

"Great, we gotta-"

"Bakugo, shut it. Come on." Shoto huffs, walking towards the gate. He looks around until he sees the door of the house. They go over to the door, the other two look at Shoto.

"Aright, Midoriya and I will wait here. Bakugo, go tell the old woman about the chapel." Shoto says, looking Katsuki in the eye.

"Why me Icyhot? Why not make Deku do it, he's an idiot but I'm sure he can find that old hag."

"Hey!" Izuku looks at Katsuki.

"Because you know where it is, and frankly I don't trust you to not scare the girl once she leaves the house. Besides, I'm sure she won't want you to guide her there. So all you have to do is tell her."

"I-I'll just go, it's just past the dog cages right? Is it that one door before the sewers?" Izuku asks, looking at them.

"Yeah, it is." Katsuki crosses his arms.

Izuku nods and looks at the two before heading towards the small fall. Jumping down and running past the cages.

The other two watch Izuku run off before looking at each other.

"Didn't have the balls to tell her?" Katsuki laughs softly, keeping his voice down.

"You're one to talk, you pinned that responsibility on Midoriya." Shoto tells Katsuki, leaning on a tree.

"Shut up, Icyhot." Katsuki huffs, looking at the door. "So how the hell are we going to do this?" He asks. "We can't exactly transport using the lamp with a kid following us."

"We're going through the sewers." Shoto says simply.

"That's not what I mean asshole!" Katsuki yells, growling at the small chuckle Shoto let out. "Are we just going to have her sit somewhere while we kill shit?"

Shoto shakes his head. "No, I think running through is the best choice. There are too many beasts around, and something might come after her while we're not looking."

"Then keep Deku with her." Katsuki says, raising an eyebrow when Shoto looks up. He could tell Shoto was trying to put together some kind of plan, something quick and simple.

They both sit in silence for a moment before they hear the sound of locks being undone and objects being moved around. They look to the door of the house and see the door slowly begin to open.

"Mister hunters, are you there?" The little girl asks, hiding behind the door.

"We're right here." Shoto says, hearing a sigh of relief. They watch the door open, and a little girl steps out.

She's small, not even half of Izuku's height. Her long blonde hair is held in place with a large white ribbon. She wears a white long-sleeved dress that goes below her knees, and a pair of black shoes with white socks. Her blue eyes stare up at the two hunters before her. She looks at the two before looking towards the stairs that lead to the house, making the other two look as well.

"You could have told me she isn't very nice." Izuku says as he walks up to them, sporting a bloody nose.

"Did you get your ass handed to you?" Katsuki laughs, pointing at him.

"I offered to guide her to the chapel, and she yelled at me, opened the door, then threw something at me." Izuku answers, wiping off the blood.

"Are you okay mister hunter?" The girl asks, stepping forward.

"Huh? Oh! It's okay, I'm alright!" Izuku smiles.

"Great, now that all of us are here. How the hell are we going to do this?" Katsuki looks at the girl.

"Kacchan! Language!" Izuku scolds.

"Shut up Deku."

"I don't have much of a plan, just running through the sewers." Shoto huffs.

"Actually, I was thinking about that on the way back here!" Izuku says, looking at them.

"Hm?"

"Running through is our best option, but it's all about how we do it. There are monsters all over the-"

"Get to the point Deku!" Katsuki punches Izuku on the head.

Izuku huffs and steps away from Katsuki. "We run in a line, one of us carries the girl, they go in the middle. I think that should be Todoroki, his fire and ice can protect from both sides, even if it's just for a moment. Kacchan should go in the front, I'm pretty sure he can easily cut through whatever comes down in front of us. I'll be in the back, dealing with any stragglers or monsters that are chasing after us." He says, looking at them.

"That'll probably work." Shoto sighs.

"It sounds like a good plan mister Deku." The girl smiles.

"Oh, thanks I-" He stops, then looks at Katsuki.

"Probem, _Deku_?" He sneers.

Izuku stares at him for a moment before standing up straight and fixing his clothing, brushing it off.

"No problem at all, _Kacchan_." Izuku smiles, earning a scowl from his friend.

Shoto rubs his eyes. "Alright before Bakugo says anything stupid." He looks at the little girl.

"Hey, shut the hell up Icyhot!"

"My name is Shoto Todoroki." He says. "I don't think we ever got your name though."

The girl smiles and opens her mouth to tell them, until a gunshot is heard. Catching Izuku in the ribs, barely missing the girl.

"What the!" Izuku gasps, looking up to see three townsmen and two dogs at the top of a set of stairs.

"Shit!" Katsuki yells, pulling out his pistol and shooting one of the dogs that came running at them.

"Alright, time to go!" Shoto says, scooping the girl up and running towards the gate, making Katsuki dash forward to stay ahead of them, leaving Izuku to take care of the rest. He only killed the dogs and the two men that rushed towards him, ignoring the gunman.

Katsuki jumped down first and swung his axe down, stunning the ogre and making it fall to the ground. He saw Shoto jump down and run past the ogre that began to get up. The ogre growls as it gets up, about to run after them until another person brings his weapon down on the ogre. This time the ogre stayed down, prompting the green hiared hunter to run forward.

Katsuki runs across the bridge and rushes towards the crows, slaughtering them. He hears Shoto run past him to the ladder. A few feet behind him is Izuku.

"Alright, I'm going to climb down first and-" Shoto was cut off when a bullet grazed his cheek.

They all look up to the gunman that shot at him.

"Fucking! Deku, I thought you took care of him!" Katsuki yells.

"I didn't think he'd follow us!" Izuku says as he runs back to the man, getting his attention.

Shoto looks at the girl, then at the platform at the bottom of the ladder. He then looks up as he hears a surprised yell from Izuku. Izuku was now dealing with the ogre from the gate, the gunman, and another dog.

"Fucking idiot!" Katsuki yells, gritting his teeth. Everything seemed much more aggressive now, _why?_

"Alright, come on!" Shoto picks up the girl again. "Hang on tight." He says, feeling her shakey grip tighten.

"W-What are you-Ah!" The girl yells in surprise as Shoto jumps down, she looks up when she feels a wave of cold wash over her. She looks up and sees the teenager holding out one hand to the ladder, ice appearing at his palm. As they fall they begin to slow, ice coating one part of the ladder. She sees they're almost to the platform below before they start falling again.

Shoto falls on his back with a loud grunt. "Dammit, I thought I'd be able to stretch it out longer..."

"Mister Todoroki are you okay?" The girl asks. "How did you do that?" She looks at his hand.

"It's my-"

"Get out of the way Icyhot!" A voice from above yells. Katsuki was coming down the ladder fast, followed by Izuku.

Shoto quicly got up and moved out of the way. Seeing Katsuki and Izuku get to the platform. As soon as Katsuki's feet touch the ground he leaps off the platform.

"We gotta fucking go!" He yells.

Izuku pushes Shoto lightly, prompting him to run forward. He looked up to see an ogre falling down the ladder. He takes off, keeping pace behind Katsuki. He hears a gunshot then the splash of water, Izuku was now close behind.

The little girl looks around as she clings to Shoto, hearing the sounds of fighting and yelling. Her eyes finally land on Izuku, her gaze full of worry and fear.

 _This_ is what her father goes through? _This_ is what her mother went through?

She sniffs a bit thinking about her parents, so many of these monsters they had to go through. Her father is a hunter but...what about her mother though? Did she just run through too? Or maybe another hunter found her and helped her out? But what if no one found her mom? What if a giant monster ate her mom? What if one of the beasts overpowered her father? No that couldn't happen right? Afterall, grandad was with him!

Those thoughts come to a stop when she realizes they've stopped running, she looks up to see the concerned gaze of Mister Deku. She realizes the other two hunters are talking as well.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asks, receiving a small nod in return.

"So we go through the tunnel, climb the ladder, and get the fuck out of here." Katsuki says as he looks down the tunnel.

"Unless you feel like dealing all those people up there." Shoto says, looking behind him to see another crawling corpse.

The little girl watches as Mister Kacchan extends his axe and begins to head down the sewer tunnel. They go slowly, not knowing what's ahead.

"Are we, almost there?" She asks, looking behind her to Mister Deku.

She sees him nod. "Yeah, we'll be there soon. Don't worry, as soon as we get you to the chapel we'll start looking for your parents again." He promises.

"Damn this tunnel long." Katsuki says, squinting as he looks ahead. He sees some kind of shape, and loud splashing footsteps.

"Kacchan, language." Izuku sighs, hearing the little girl laugh.

"Shut up Deku or I'm going- HOLY SHIT!" KAtsuki yells, seeing a giant pig running at them.

"Todoroki get back!" Izuku yells, pulling the back of his shirt.

Shoto was thrown back, seeing he giant pig barreling towards them all. He tries to back up further, only to lose his footing. He swears as he sees Izuku tries to slow the pig down in it's rampage, only to be trampled over and head straight towards him and the little girl. He tightens his hold on her and rolls out of the way. It still managed to hit him, sending him flying into a wall. He yells in pain and almost drops her.

"Todoroki!" Izuku yells, getting up. He stabs himself in the leg, healing whatever injuries he sustained. He rushes over to the pig, sheathing his saw spear.

Shoto sees the pig about to rush at the two of them again. As it open's it jaws, letting out a foul purple smog Shoto throws the girl to the side, taking not only the poisoned air; and the blunt force of the pig smashing him into the wall.

The girl had yelled as she was thrown to the side. She looked up in fear and horror as Mister Todoroki was smashed into the wall, she shakes as the pig turns it's attention to her. Squealing loudly and walking towards her. She couldn't move as the pig stalks towards her, opening it's jaws to bite her in half. A scream wanted to escaped from her throat, to cry out in alarm, to tell the world where she was. So someone could help her, so someone could save her.

She was quickly snapped out of her fear when she saw Katsuki racing towards the pig.

"You piece of shit!" He yells, bringing the axe down on the head of the pig. It squeals loudly and tries to shake off the axe that was now embedded into it's head. She sees a feral grin spread across his face as he roughly pulls the axe free and plants a hand on the struggling pig. Explosions erupt from his hands, causing futher pain to the oversized pig.

She felt someone help her get to her feet, she looks up; seeing Izuku. He was about to tell her something until the pig got onto it's hind legs and threatened to crush the two. HE had picks her up and dashed out of the way. He ran over to the mouth of the tunnel and put her down.

"There's a ladder somewhere down this tunnel. Go there and wait for okay, we'll be right there." He says, not waiting for her response as he goes to help his two friends.

The girl watches him as he cuts into the pig, getting it's attention. Mister Todoroki was getting to his feet, he looked angry. After a moment the girl runs down the tunnel as fast as she could. The sounds of yells and monsterous squealing echo throughout the tunnel. Reverbertating through the tunnels and into her bones, shaking her to her core. She runs even faster when she hears a loud splash behind her, or what she thought was behind her.

She runs into a wider area, almost freezing in place. There are two adult corpses floating in the water, she had stumbled for a moment; almost falling to her knees. She managed to stay on her feet and run out of the wider part of the tunnel, running straightforward. She kept running until she saw an opening off to the left side, she gasps as she runs out of the sewers, being me with the much fresher air of the outside. Her relief is short lived as she yells in surprise when the pig goes barreling past the doorway, still trying to claim it's prey.

"You fucking pig! Get the hell back here!"

"Where's the ladder?"

"Wait, where is she?"

The girl hears the yells of the hunters as the pig crashes around in the tunnel and fights aginst the hunters that pester it. She backs away from the entry into the sewers, hitting a ladder. She looks up at the tall, metal escape route; flinching at the sounds of gunshots, explosions, and yells.

She bites her lip as she thinks over her options. She has to be across that bridge by now, she should be right by Oedon's Tomb.

She goes over the pathway in her mind, remembering route her father told her about whenever he goes on a hunt. He told her that he will _always_ end up at the Odeon's Tomb, which was right at the chapel. She presses herself against the ladder as she sees the pig trying to get through that small entryway, she could see a few of the bricks beginning to break apart as the large boar puts all of it's weight against the wall.

She can still hear the yells of the three hunters, listening to them yelling in frustration, and concern.

When she sees the pig look towards her, with nothing but bloodlust in it's eyes that does it. She begins to climb up the ladder as fast as she could, flinching with every loud sound coming from down below. She can get to the chapel, if the monsters notice her she'll have the advantage of being ahead.

She makes it to the top of the ladder, climbing to the platform to where the ladder connects. She looks around, seeing a large group of men on the bridge, as well as an ogre and some kind of large ball. They all watch the other end of the bridge, waiting for what ever should come from there. Looking ahead there's a set of stairs, her way to Oedon's Chapel.

The girl does her best to hurry past it all, trying her best to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible. She gets up the stairs an freezes at the top, seeing to large monsters that have their backs turned towards her. They look over some kind of statue, their attention focused on the twitsted stone object, whatever it had meant to resemble.

The girl slowly makes her way past them, going towards the large set of stairs. To the Tomb of Oedon, then to that safe place. As soon as she got there with the hunters they could start the search of her parents again. She feels herself let out a breath of relief as she reaches the entrance of the graveyard.

She makes her way into the graveyard, looking over the destroyed headstones and shattered statutes that once held up lanterns to light up the darkness of the night. Providing some kind of comfort to anyone who would dare enter the graveyard in the dead of night, but they offered nothing in the late afternoon. As she walks around the chunks of stone she notices something, or rather _someone_.

He was kneeling down, weapons sheathed as he buried his face into his gloved hands. The man was shaking, it almost looked like he was crying.

She walks a bit closer to the man, looking at his clothes. Her eyes widens as she sees the yellow hunter garbs, that old, worn leather hat with the feathers that droop downwards. A smile finds her face as she runs towards him.

"Grandad!" She yells, stopping before him as he looks up. She sees him stand up and look around in confusion, then his eyes land on her.

The smile leaves her face when she sees the sad expression he wears; only visible with his mask pulled down. "Grandad? Grandad what happened?" She goes closer to him.

The old hunter looks down at the little girl before him, he knew her right? Yes, yes he did. He feels his mouth open as he tries to produce words. His mind is still reeling from his discovery, he had seen the young hunters go through that gate. But he hadn't yet discovered the death of his old friend, something he still can't find himself to accept. Then he had found Viola's bloody corpse, it had been an axe that had done her in. And with the absence of Gascoigne, the destruction of all those graves.

Where else could the man have gone? He would never set foot into the Cathedral Ward, not on a night like this. Not when the monsters were increasing in numbers in the part of town his family lied. Henryk had looked all over Central Yharnam, slaying beasts as he called out to his friend, searching for him. Only to wind up at Odeon's Tomb with one answer left.

Death claimed him.

He refused to accept it, the death of not only his best friend, but his the woman who was almost like a daughter to him as well. He berated himself, he shouldn't have left Gascoigne. He should have been there, maybe all of this could have been avoided. Gascoigne wouldn't have been killed by those hunters, Gascoige wouldn't have gone mad, Viola wouldn't have died.

And here, his little granddaughter had found him, weeping over her parents. What was he supposed to tell her? _How_ was he supposed to tell her?

He pushes those thoughts down for now, deciding that would be something to worry about another time.

"V-Victoria...what are you doing here?" He asks, kneeling down to her eye level.

"Three hunters came to my home, they promised to find mommy and daddy! Then they came back and said they hadn't found them yet, then they told me about the chapel! They said I'd be safe there, since more and more monsters are coming out." She replies, looking innocently at her grandfather.

"Three hunters?" He asks, he hadn't seen them go through the tomb. They would have to, if they were in the Ward...unless..

Dreamers...

"And where are these three hunters?" He asks, his rage slowly rising.

"They're in the sewers, we went through a tunnel when a giant pig came..." She whimpers, the jaws of death had come so close. "They told me to run, and I did. And I thought I could get through the rest on my own...but I don't have to now! You're here grandad!" She hugs him.

"Yes, yes I am. I won't let those hunters, or any beasts harm you Victoria. I promise." He hugs her back, feeling immense rage at the hunters that had _dared_ to put her in harm's way.

"The hunters? But they were trying to help me grandad, Mister Deku, Kacchan, and Todo were keeping me safe."

"Victoria...those hunters-"

"Kid! Where the hell did you go!"

"She's probably made it to the chapel Kacchan, she said she knows where it is!"

Henryk looks up to the sounds of the hunter's voices. He stands up and quickly puts himself in front of the girl.

"We still have to make sure that..." The third one trails off as he spots Henryk.

The three stop at the entrance of the tomb to see the little girl standing behind a man clad in yellow.

"Mister hunters!" The girl smiles, looking up at the man. "Grandad, they're the one's that helped me get here!" Her smile leaves when she sees him pull out his saw cleaver and gun. She takes a step back as the man steps towards the three hunters.

"Grandad, what are you doing?" She asks, seeing the other three get their weapons as well.

"These hunters are liars Victoria, they aren't going to find your parents." He growls, pressing the trigger of his bloodstained cleaver.

The girl doesn't miss the grimace of guilt on Mister Deku's face, how he had flinched at those words.

"What do you mean grandad?" She asks.

She flinches when he suddenly turns towards her, there was a madness in his eyes. An ugly, crazed, enraged nature that threatened to make itself known to all. She heard about this, Miss Eileen had once told her about it. When hunters would go insane, they would try to fight it, before their desire for blood completely consumed it. Their mental state would deteriorate as they came closer and closer to slipping away completely. That's when hunters like Miss Eileen had to jump in and kill them, she said it was a mercy.

If the thought of that happening didn't scare her then, it most certainly scared her now.

Her grandad couldn't lose himself! No, he was too strong! Wasn't he?

"Victoria, go to the chapel!" He yells, making her flinch. " _NOW!_ "

He begins to walk forward, lifting his gun. His finger shaking.

"You did this..." He mutters. Glaring at all three, meeting their gazes. "You-"

"Grandad don't!" The girl screams, running forward and pulling on his right arm. "They're good hunters! They just want to help! They said they'd find mommy and daddy!"

Henryk suddenly whirls around, taking his arm back. She stumbles back, tripping on one of the broken graves.

"Kid!"

One of them rushes forward.

"You want to find them so badly!" He yells, pointing the gun at her. "Join them in the afterlife!"

"No! Don't!"

The sound of a gunshot echoes throughout the graveyard.

 **-HotN-**

 **eeeheheheheheheh yeah.**

 **So, how yall doing? Good?**

 **Okay**

 **I don't know what to put here**

 **Have a nice day/night everybody!**

 **P.S. I don't own Bloodborne or MHA/BNHA**


	9. Chapter 9: Old Yharnam

**Old Yharnam**

They all split off from the Chapel, silent amongst themselves with hearts heavy with guilt, a promise that couldn't be fufilled, and a new mission.

Shoto had been the first to split off from the small group of three, keeping true to his decision and heading off towards that old chapel where he suffered his first death. He quickly killed off the two Lantern Bearers that had come down from the stairs.

He collected the blood vials they dropped and continued down the path the to small chapel. As he walked past the well he had heard a yell and the sound of a gun go off. He sighs, muttering to himself about Katsuki's temper. He makes his way down that familiar path, down the stairs that are watched over by stone creatures perched on their concrete pedestals.

As he walks down the stairs, Shoto looks around the area. Seeing how the homes built of dark brick are so close together. Tight spaces, clustered graves; a city that could only build upon itself in order to accomodate for the amount of people that flowed into the city. He pulls out a blood vial, looking it over.

This miraculous blood that offered a cure to any injury, and probably any disease. No wonder the city was so cramped and crowded, why they had to build upwards to the cosmos. They had to grow quickly with the people that came into the city, a city that was probably powerful at one point.

He scowls at the vial, his thoughts turning sour as he thinks what could happen if the blood were to reach his world, his home. Blood that offered such miracles at a price, a price that no one cared to heed. If someone like his father were to get his hands on this kind of substance, the influence he could have if he controlled it, the power he could wield; and what he could do with it. What he could have done to Shoto, to his siblings, his mother...

He growls, unconsciously crushing the glass vial. Unaware of it until he finally recognized the pain of glass cutting into his palm. He looks down at his left hand, seeing the warm blood that seeps into his hand healing the injury as quickly as it had been caused. He watches the flesh piece together again, pushing the tiny shards out of his hand. He sighs as he pulls out his weapons, reaching the bottom of the stairs. He sees the patrolling men, and that damn dog.

He sighs as he presses the trigger of his weapon, the loud click echoing in the area. Catching the attention of the dog, it begins barking and that catches the attention of the patrolling men. He frowns and steps back, letting the dog run towards him. As it jumps towards him he shoots it, making it tumble back. He frowns as the dog gets up rather quickly, and the men rush past the hound to attack Shoto.

He takes another step back and pulls his cleaver back, when two of the men are close enough he brings it down. They stumble back and charge towards him again, the one wielding the axe taking a bullet to the chest. As he's about to attack again the dog comes back and bites down on his leg, causing him to yell in pain. As he kills off the dog he's impaled with the long range pitchfork.

He growls and shoots the man that assaulted him, as he steadies himself and pants his feet firmly he lets his ice take over. He focuses all of his energy into his quirk, watching the small spikes of ice impale the men. The fragile ice breaks rather easily as they struggle to free themselves, and as they struggle Shoto rips the pitchfork out of his chest and beheads the hooded man. He stabs himself in the leg as the man with the small cleaver rushes towards him. He steps to the side as he swings the small weapons wildly around, quickly whirling around to finish him off.

He watches the body fall to the ground as brushes himself off, grunting in pain as he put a bit of pressure where he was impaled. He pulls out another blood vial and heals himself then goes over to the bodies. Gathering three blood vials and two bullets. He pockets the items and heads towards the small chapel, he spots a few small glows over to the right of the area but decides he'll check it out later.

He steps into the minature church, a sudden quiet falling over him. Like all of the niose of the world was suddenly silenced, he listens to the quiet of the chapel. He stops when he hears the ragged breathing of a man. He looks around, looking for the source of the noise. He peers around the large stone tomb and sees a man standing in a corner, holding a small cleaver. He takes other look around and sees a dead body hanging off of the broken piece of what was probably once a pathway.

Shoto sighs as he walks forward, catching the man hiding inside off guard. As soon as the man turns towards him he quickly closes the space between them and kills him off. Blood splatters on the stone pillars the man was hiding behind. After collecting yet another blood vial he's surrounded by that unsettling quiet again. That silence that makes it so easy, yet so hard to think. He starts to walk around, his footsteps echoing.

He walks over to the stone tomb and kneels down, looking it over. There was an elevated part of the floor, rectangular. It looked about the size of the that large grave. He looks up to where the dead body is again.

' _There's a way to get up there, but how?_ ' He thinks to himself, looking around. After finding no stairs, and no way to scale the wall to get up. He huffs as he walks out of the church.

"If there's no way up their from the inside, there it has to be outside..." He mutters quietly. He looks around as he stands at the entrance. He goes over to the area he told himself he'd explore later. He walks over to the old, withered trees that somehow still stand strong.

He kneels down and picks up a small, squicshy lump of blood. Something smiliar to what he found in the sewers. He lets it sit in his palm as he looks over it, it was slightly larger than the other one. He thinks for a moment before crushing it, as he had seen Katsuki do by accident out of anger. He feels a small amount of Echoes flow into his being, addition to his power. It not so much that it would make him lightheaded, just enough to add a small pressure to his chest.

He keeps moving forward, to the second dead body, finding four molotavs on the man. They were probably all he was armed with, no real useful weapon. As Shoto is about to walk away to look around more he hears muttering. He stops, pulling out the cleaver as he looks for the source. His eyes dart around until they land on a large stone grave in some kind of area, above the small courtyard.

He hums, that confirms his thought that there has to be some way up. He begins to head over to the other side of the area, where he hadn't explored yet.

He walks around the small church, to the left this time, and lets out a small smirk. Stairs, which meant a way up, which meant answers. He walks forward, stepping over the crumbled walkway and to the foot of the stairs. At the top is a gunman, staring down the young hunter that dared to approach him. He doesn't bring his gun up yet, watching the hunter.

As Shoto walks up the first set of stairs he watches the man, raising an eyebrow as the man does not yet attack him. As he makes it to the first archway he hears loud barking. As the man brings his gun up two dog start tunning down the stairs like bats out of hell.

Shoto swears as he backs up to avoid the bullet, then dodges to the side to avoid the dog jumping at him. He points his pistol at the second dog and fires, sending the hound tumblling back a bit. He then turns around and embeds the cleaver into the skull of the other dog, making it fall into a heap of matted white fur and limbs. As he gets the weapon back the second dog runs over and bites into his leg.

He yells in irritation and pain as he kills off the dog. He growls as he sidesteps another bullet, then dashes towards the gunman who tried to reload quickly. He doesn't get the chance to shoot as he's impaled with the serrated teeth of Shoto's weapon. Shoto rips the weapon out roughly and beheads the man as he fell to his knees. He grabs the leftover bullets and looks to his gun.

His bullets weren't as effective anymore, whenever he would shoot one of the mutts they wre incapacitated for a while. The beasts in Central Yharnam seemed weaker to his bullets. He frowns and takes out a bullet, looking it over. Was it his bullets that were weak or was it his gun? He stares at the silver bullet, and the tiny streaks of red through the ammo. He swears the silver and red are swriling around in the solid matter.

He stares at it for a while more before pocketing the bullet, walking around the top of the stairs. He quickly spots a door connected to the building, he goes over and slowly opens it. Flinching slightly as it creaks open.

He peers inside before fully opening the door, looking for anything else that would attack him. After seeing nothing but the ornate designs carved into the floor, the empty pedestals on every side of the room, and the light mist that seemedto come in from yet another doorway; he walks inside. He exhales, his breath appearing in the chilly air. He makes his way to the center of the small room, seeing yet another doorway. It was the area above the small chapel, and right outside that large doorway was a lever.

Shoto had a mind to go over and inspect it immediately, if it were not for the muttering she could hear from the outside. He looks to the lever before heading over to the doorway across from him. He steps out into the open air again, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as he can. He peers around a corner, seeing nothing but stairs and a large stone monument, surrounded by smaller headstones.

After seeing nothing of concern he walks forward, making his way down the stairs to look at the headstonesm thinking that may have some kind of clues to them. Maybe important names, dates, titles. Something that could offer any clue as to why this lonely chapel was here, maybe something on the blood of Yharnam, any scrap of information.

As he makes it to the foot of the stairs he makes out a shape, it looks like a man kneeling down at the foot of the headstone. He was muttering to himself, the original disturbance.

Feeling a wave of paranoia and fear hit him, Shoto pulls out his weapons. A voice in the back of his head tells him beware this stranger, while his instincts tell him it's safe. Shoto only walks forward slowly, hoping not to disturb the man.

A hope that was soon crushed as he tripped over a stray brick from a more worn torn part of the wall. He swears as he almost falls forward, quickly trying to put himself upright.

By the time he finally regains his balance he hears a soft chuckle, seeing the man dressed in white garbs stand up. The man turns towards Shoto, looking over the young hunter.

"You're a beast hunter, aren't you?" He asks waving the young man over.

After Shoto looks over the stranger dressed in white, his friendly demeanor, after deeming him trustworthy he walks over. He sheathes his weapons and stands before him, a few feet away. He raises an eyebrow at the understanding and patient smile on the man's face.

"I suppose so, if by beast hunter you mean I kill all the monsters around here..." Shoto says, curious and confused.

' _Beast Hunter? Does that mean there are types of hunters?_ '

"I knew it. That's precisely how I started out!" He says, his suspisions being confirmed. Especially with his attire, definitely an outsider, a beginner, a beast hunter.

"What?"

"Oh, beg pardon, you may call me Alfred. Protege of Master Logarius, hunter of Vilebloods."

' _Vilebloods?_ '

"So, what say you? Our prey might differ, but we are hunters, the both of us? Why not cooperate, and discuss the things we've learned?" He holds out his hand, waiting for his answer.

Shoto looks him over for a moment, the man was free of any blood. Still alive, and clearly sane. He wasn't one of those slathering beasts that attacked out of instinct.

He hesitantly takes the man's hand, shaking it.

"My name is Shoto Todoroki." He says simply, seeing the Alfred smile once more.

"Oh-hoh! Very good, very good indeed!" Alfred takes his hand back. "Take this, to celebrate our aquintance." He hands Shoto three rough papers that seemed to glow. "Beast hunting is a sacred practice. May the good blood guide your way."

"What are these?" He asks, looking them over.

"Those, my friend, are fire papers. You rub them on your weapon and it is set ablaze for a short time. Very effective against beasts." Alfred explains, watching Shoto put the items in his bag for later use.

"There must be oodles for us to share! Go on! Tell me what piques your interest. I can tell you a few things about the Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, and a bit of the prey I hunt." Alfred tells him. Oh he has plenty of questions for the young boy as well.

Shoto waches him for a minute before sighing. "Alright then, what can you tell me about the Healing Church?"

"As I'm sure you know, the Healing Church is the fountainhead of blood healing. Well, I'm a simple hunter, quite unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the institution." He answers, smirking when he sees Shoto's exasperated face, clearly the boy yearns for answers. "But I have heard that the holy medium of blood healing is venerated in the Main Cathedral. And that councilors of the old church reside in the high stratum of the Cathedral Ward. If you seek blood healing, and the church is willing, you should pay them a visit."

"Considering they closed off the bridge, I doubt they'd be willing." Shoto mutters, then looks back to Alfred. "How do you get to the 'high stratum' of the Cahedral Ward?" He asks.

Alfred hums. "Now hold on young man, I've answered one of your questions. Now it is only fair you answer one of mine. After all, we made an agreement to cooperate."

Shoto stares at him for a minute before nodding. "Alright, shoot." He crosses his arms.

"Hm, what to ask...ah. You are an outsider aren't you? Tell me, what brought you to Yharnam?" He asks.

Shoot thinks for a moment before answering, how much should he really tell this man? "What brought me here? I didn't exactly come here of my own will, I was dragged here to say the least." He answers, he didn't need to know about the villains.

"Ah, interesting. And to answer your question of how to get to the higher stratum, also called the Upper Cathedral Ward. I don't know, the way there has been sealed away for quite some time. I do believe though that the way there was through Odeon's Chapel."

' _Great the damn doors that won't open._ '

"Now, I am rather curious. You see, I noticed you had come by once, and perished. I'm sorry I had not come to help, I noticed far too late. Then again when I heard commotion, and you left once more, and here you are once again. Tell me Beast Hunter Shoto Todoroki," He looks the boy in the eye. "Do you dream?"

Shoto wasn't sure what it was, that sudden pressure. It felt like a dangerous question, and an even more dangerous answer. That question almost felt like an accusation...

"So, what if I do?" He asks, meeting the man's stare. They both hold each other's gaze for a moment, tension seeping it's way into the air; only broken by a sudden laugh from Alfred.

"A dreaming hunter! It has been quite a while since I've encountered one. I take it your dream sustains you, that is the only way you could have survived that initial encounter with the beasts." He hums.

Shoto watches him in consuion for a moment. "Do you, are you-"

"I do not dream my friend. I do not dream, I have only heard of this dream from other hunters, usually beast hunters. I never had the desire to dream, for a short while perhaps...and then I found my true calling." Alfred looks to the sky fondly, old memories of training with his idol, the great and only Master Logarius. The man he looked up to.

"Alright then, I just have one more question."

"I take it it's about Byrgenwerth, correct?" He asks, confirmed with a nod.

"Hmm." Alfred brings his eyes back down to the earth, thinking on all he knows. "Byrgenwerth is an old place of learning. And the tomb of the gods, carved out below Yharnam, should be familiar to every hunter. Well, once, a group of young Byrgenwerth scholars discovered a holy medium deep within the tomb. In this sense, everything sacred in Yharnam can be traced back to Byrgenwerth."

Tomb of the gods, now _that_ sounded familiar. Sounded like something Gehrman mentioned.

"But today, the college lies deep within a tangled wood, abandoned and decrepit. And furthermore, the Healing Church has declared Byrgenwerth forbidden ground. It's unclear how many of its scholars remain alive...but only they know the password that allows passage through the gate."

"Declared it forbidden ground? After they got everything from that place? Sounds like the church is hiding something..." Shoto says to himself, he stops. Oh great, Mioriya was starting to rub off on him.

"Perhaps they are, but within good reason I'm sure. After all, we shouldn't question the church. Especially when there is work to be done for us hunters."

Shoto nods after a moment. "Yeah, I should probably head out now." He sighs, turning around to walk off.

"Now now, hold on young man. I just one more question for you. Do you hunt alone, on this perilous night?" He asks.

Shoto looks to the man. "No, I have friends with me."

"Oh? Ineresting...well, I suppose that is all." Alfred watches Shoto begin to walk away. "I bid you farewell. It has been a pleasure. May the good blood guide your way."

Shoto waves a hand in farewell, climbing the stairs and heading back into the chapel. He heads back over to where the lever sits. He looks around, at the ceiling, the walls, the ground. After thinking it over for a moment, thinking that there would be no trap activated; he pulled it.

He pulled it back, then let it go. It had held itself there for a moment while gears could be heard clicking and clacking away. His eyes catch the large tomb at the entrance of the chapel, sit begins to shake, old dust being disturbed as it slowly moves back. It moves back, onto that small elevated part of the ground. The sound of stone grinding on stone is rather irritating, but also relieving; disturbing the quiet of the church.

He waits for a moment before making his way to the only place he could drop down from. He steps over the body, but not before taking another glowing skull from the body. He jumps down and looks around, his eyes catch another glow. He walks over to a space farthest back from the entrance, he kneels down and picks up yet another glowing skull. He takes note of the clothing, both bodies were wearing black garments, if he didn''t know any better he'd guess they were garments of the church. They most certainly seemed like a uniform.

He slowly makes his way over to where the stone tomb had moved from, his back to the entrance of the church. Stairs, they lead downward into the unknown. He takes a deep breath, a feeling of dread as he takes a step forward. He slowly makes his way down the stairs., past taller archways with strange figures carved into the pillars. He keeps heading down, the area getting darker and darker. He silently wishes he had taken the torch from Katsuki.

He stops as he spots a few candles ahead, bringing light to the seemingly infinite dark room. As his eyes adjust he looks around. From the ceiling there are strange cloths hanging, a strange window against one wall, with two smaller windows on either side. After staring at the ceiling for a moment he brings his eyes down to earth once more. He sees more stone stautes scattered around the room, they were holding the small candles around the room.

The stone statues were like the ones on the bridge, carved out to display their misery. Their woes out for all to see, weeping, and wailing to the skies. Their hands out, begging for any kind of assistance. Any kind of help someone can offer.

He walks over to one group of statues, seeing yet another corpse. It didn't let off that much of a smell, a bit surprising. He kneels down, seeing something stuck in the corpse's chest, he reaches out a hesitant hand and takes it. He waits for a moment, expecting the body to sit up or something, after nothing happens he looks at the item he took. It looked like a gem of some kind, it had little, jagged points sticking out; almost like a star.

He raises an eyebrow, looking it over. He's about to put the gem away when he stops, an idea coming to him. Something Gehrman told them they could do if ever in need of information...at least the information they'll give.

He taps the ground lightly, waiting for a moment until a few Messengers come up. He hold out the gem to them.

"What is this?" He asks, watching them sink back into the ground and then reappear. Unfolding a piece of paper.

 _This is a radial blood gem, it has effects that bear upon the physical attacks of a weapon._

 _Blood gems are kneaded into weapons using the Bloodgem workshop tool. But they can only be implemented when they have the same matching shape._

Shoto reads over the paper a few times before nodding his thanks to the disappearing Messengers.

"So they hve to have matching slots...that'll be fun." He puts the blood gem away, then turns towards another door off to the side, more downward stairs.

He makes his way down the stairs, reaching a large doorway leading into an open area full of jars and a few supporting beams. He's about to step inside when he stops, hearing the a low snarl. He then presses his back agianst the side of the doorway, then looks around. Looking for the beast hiding in the dark.

His eyes dart around until he sees a pair of yellow eyes, the dark fur helps the black wolf blend into the darkness. He sighs, now that he sees it, he can kill it.

He pulls out his saw cleaver and slowly makes his way into the room, seeing that the wolf has spot him. He watches the beast run at him, jumping to the side when it had lunged at him. It crashed into a few urns, shattering them.

While the wolf shakes it's had, trying to get the tiny shards out of it's face; Shoto rushes forward and hacks away at the hind legs of the beast. He backs away when the wolf as it whirls around, trying to get it's jaws on Shoto. It lashes out at him, then runs towards him agian.

Shoot uses one of the support beams to his advantage, cirling around it and making the wolf chase him. He waits for the wolf to lunge at him again before attacking again. He dodges to the side again and back away at the the beast's side. Cutting into bone and thick fur covering rather thin flesh.

He ended up getting cocky and tried to get a few more strikes until the wolf turned around and jumped at him, pinning him into the ground. It growls loudly as it bites into his shoulder, tearing through the clothes and tearing apart his left shoulder. He yells in pain as the wolf continues to tear him apart, only being stunned with a bullet through it's skull.

It whimpers and steps back, shaking it's head. Shoto gets to his feet and yells as he brings the cleaver down on it's neck. He hears a loud crack, then brings the weapons down again, this time he manages to behead the beast.

Shoto falls on his rear as he pulls cleaver free, he pants. That was a bit tougher than it should have been, he quickly heals himself with two blood vials. He grunts as he watches his shoulder sew itself together. Flesh miraculosuly reappearing from only torn up muscles, ligaments, and bone.

After his shoulder is healed he gets up, brushing himself off. He goes over to the corpse and picks up a blood stone shard. He pockets it and heads to the next door, yet another set of stairs leading downwards. Except instead of stone, these are made from old wood, they creak as he walks. He stops next to a small, lit lantern on the wall, it's not as dark anymore. He spots a few boxes off to the side, he only passes them by as he heads down the next set of stairs.

When he makes his way down to the bottom of the stairs he sees what looks like one of the seats for a church, almost hidden will so many vases and boxes around it. In front of that, is a metal ladder. He looks down it, seeking something like a cabinet next to the base. Then a few more staris that lead upwards but go nowhere, clearly meant to go where he stands now.

He quickly climbs down, wondering.

' _What could so deep underground? What on earth could be hidden in this little church? Is this another thing the Healing Church is hiding?_ '

He snaps himself back to reality as he makes it to the bottom, in front of him even more stairs that lead downwards. Off to the right side, more old stairs, except they lead upwards. Oh joy.

He decies to take the stairs that upwards, finding thye only lead to the platform he was able to see from the top of the ladder. He sees yet another dead body, but a glow radiates from his hand. Shoto goes over and takes the items from the deceased man's cold, rotting hand.

He steps back and looks at what he got, wrapped up in little brown packets, small white tablets. He grabbed a total of four packets.

Shoto raises an eyebrow, looking over the small things.

"What on Earth are these?" He asks aloud, and as if the Messengers had been waiting for this moment they popped up, unrolling a piece of paper. Shoto looks down and kneels to read the message.

 _Those are anditdotes, small medicinal tablets that counter act poison._ _They were used to treat ashen blood, the baffling sickness that ravaged Old Yharnam long ago._ _These tablets only provide short-term relief. The ashen blood ailment eventually triggered the spread of the beastly scourge._ Shoto reads it over, and looks at the small packets.

"Ashen blood? What exactly is that, and what is Old Yharnam? And what do you mean by triggered the spread of the beastly scourge?" He asks the Messengers, watching for a moment until they dsappear back into the ground.

"Hey! Get back here!" He yells, tapping the ground. He huffs when they don't return.

 _Vague bastards_.

He stops, great now _Bakugo_ of all people was beginning to rub off on him.

He shakes his head and stands back up, going down the stairs, then down the next and _hopefully_ final set.

Shoto makes his way down that set of stairs and looks ahead, relieved there's no more. No more going further down, he was sure they were already deep underground. He gets to the bottom and looks around.

Stone walls, overgrown plants that creep in from cracks here and there. Abandoned boxes and empty urns. It's rather dark, but lit up with the dull glow of an unlit lamp.

His eyes widen and he goes over to the lamp, snapping his fingers and illuminating it. He watches four Messengers appear at the base of the lantern and look up to it. He sighs as they bow their heads and clasp their hands together.

He gazes at the comforting glow at the lantern for a moment before taking another look around, in front of him was a large, wooden door. There was a large, worn paper on the door.

He kneels at the lantern, putting his hand in front of it. He wills himself away from this reality, and returns to the dream.

 **-HotN-**

Shoto takes a deep breath as he looks around the safe haven of the dream. He spots the doll resting in her usual spot, her head bowed as if she were sleeping. He walks past her and into the workshop.

It's empty inside, no old man, no little Messengers. Just the tables and books scattered here and there. He makes his way over to the table and places his weapon on it. He looks it over, seeing a few knicks and broek parts of the weapon.

He begins to repair it, but not before looking into his bag, four bloodstone shards. Just enough to enhance it at least once. He fixes up his cleaver, and works on trying to enhance the weapon.

He's not sure how much time passes, or if any time really passed at all. He holds the now repaired and stronger weapon. After deeming his work satisfying he's about to walk away, until he feels a small hum from his bag. He stops, looking through his bag until he finds the source of the hum.

He reaches in and pulls out the red jewel left behind from the smashed brooch. As soon as he has it in his hands that humming stops, he looks around in confusion...was it all in his head?

He gazes at the jewel, unable to help but feel a twinge of guilt. He hadn't been able to move, unable to react fast enough. He was only able to stand and watch the events pass by as quickly as they did.

One moment there was a gunshot, the rest was nothing but a blur. The only thing he could really make out was yelling, crying, and raging green lightning. Everything was so hard to piece together, one moment he was standing there, and the next he was impaling the man while he was finished off with the swift blades of the crow.

He lets the events play over again and again in his mind, still trying to remember what happened. He couldn't remember who's blood stained Izuku's clothes, his own...or Henryk's...or...

He suddenly snaps back to reality, he was standing at the desk again. The red jewel was gone from his hands, and was now embedded into his cleaver.

When did that happen? How did that happen? He gazes at the jewel that adorns his weapon, feeling some kind of power in it, more power.

He gives up trying to figure it out after a moment, going quickly to the Doll.

"Hello good hunter, what is it you desire?" She asks, standing up, having heard his footsteps.

"I want to use my Blood Echoes." He answers, holding out his hand as she kneels. An action he's cearly, very familiar with.

"Can you please strengeth my vitality and strength?" He asks.

"Of course."

He feels that power he's accumulated pool into his hand, then replaced with a warmth that rushes throughout his body.

"Anything else good hunter?"

Shoto thinks, considering increasing his vitality again...or maybe the Doll could answer a question.

"Doll, do you know any way to make the bullets we use stronger?" He asks, looking at her.

"Your bullets?" She asks, then smiles. "Your blood affects the strength of your bullets." She stands up. "Have you ever seen your blood, swirling within the quicksilver?"

"What?"

She hums.

"Many hunters have passed through here, and many have had different ways of facing the hunt. Some relied on their brute strength to survive and cut down beasts. Others used their firearms to quickly finish off the beasts, very few would use arcane powers in battle." She smiles as she looks back at him. "I am sure, one of the other good hunters told you of each aspect?" She asks.

Todoroki looks at her, then thinks back. Yeah, Izuku had told him and Bakugo about the abilities they could strengthen, however he had stopped listening past something past Bloodtinge, probably to argue with Bakugo or kill a beast.

"He mentioned something about Bloodtinge, I wasn't really paying attention then." He admits, crossing his arm. "So, Bloodtinge is what makes bullets stronger? Is that it?" He asks. "Or are there any weapons that also use Bloodtinge?"

"I'm sure there are a few, I have only ever seen one though. It was so long ago though." Another hunter, another face, another memory that begins to fade over time.

"I tend to rely on my bullets a lot..." Shoto mutters. "So Bloodtinge could be pretty useful, perhaps my gun can also help to amplify the impact the bullet leaves, and oh my god I'm going to kill Midoriya." He mutters, realizing what he was doing.

"Good god, can you please.." He holds out his hand, hearing the Doll laugh softly.

As soon as she was done, he bid her farewell and returned to the lantern he came from, to face what lies behind those doors.

 **-HotN-**

Shoto sighs as he reappears, grunting as he stretches his muscles out.

He pulls out his newly strengthed weapon, and his firearm.

He walks up to the closed doors and looks up at the words scrawled on an old, rotting parchement.

 _This town is long abandoned._

 _Hunters not wanted here._

He raises an eyebrow, hunters not wanted? Who or what didn't want the hunters there?

He takes the paper off the door and throws it to the ground. Placing his hands on the door, grunting with effort as he pushes the doors open.

He opens the doors to a depressing landscape, the sky a bright crimson the towers reaching towards the sky in the distance. A few clouds cover the sky, but not by much. Barren trees, dying fire with the smell of burnt flesh in the air. A few small wodden pyres with small, human-like beasts nailed to them. Dwindling flames at the foot of the pyres.

He lets out a sigh, a mixture of awe and horror.

So _this_ is what was hiding in that church, a hidden city. An old secret...but why?

He walks out into the area, looking around. Seeing broken statues, rusted metal railings, and smoke rising from so many places. He suddenly stops in his tracks when a loud voice calls out to him. Echoing throughout the burnt city.

"You there, hunter. Didn't you see the warning? Turn back at once. Old Yharnam, burned and abandoned by men, is now home only to beasts."

Shoto looks around until he sees a clocktower in the distance, a large figure at the top. While he walks he doesn't see the beast crossing the bridge to meet him, the beast glaring at him with piercing yellow eyes.

"They are of no harm to those above. Turn back...or the hunter will face the hunt."

Shoto looks up when he hears the growl of a beast, it was a little shorter than him. Ashen skin, hunched over, black fur, and sharpened claws. It bares it's teeth and runs at Shoto, jumping up to tackle him to the ground. Shoto dodged to the side and pressed the trigger of his saw cleaver, whirling around and cutting into the beast. He grunt with the effort, this beast, it's tougher. Much more resilient. The skin is thicker, much tougher to cut through.

The beast manages to duck under one of Shoto's strikes and tackles him, clawing at the boy's chest. It growls and digs it's claws into him, until it get's kicked off, tumbling to the side.

It watches the young man get to his feet, charging at him again, jumping up and snarling until it takes a bullet to the head. It falls to the ground, stunned. It lifts it's head as Shoto rushes over, beheading the small beast.

The body falls limp, the head rolling away.

Shoto groans as he stabs himself in the leg, letting his injuries heal. Even though his flesh sews itself together he still feels this sickening sensation inside. like his lungs are on fire, hard to breathe. He coughs and holds his throat, the dry burning sensation painful.

He coughs, the pain beginning to fade away. Slowly, the burning sensation left him, it became easier to breathe. He took in deep breaths of air, the air seeming much cleaner than what he was just breathing.

"What the hell..." He asks aloud, rubbing his throat. "That stuff was like...burning poison." He mutters, then stops. His mind making the connection, poison. Antidote.

He pulls out the tiny packages and looks at them. "Temporary relief, better than nothing...but since it faded away I don't have whatever the 'ashen blood' is." He says to himself, arranging his bag so he has the fire paper and antidotes close.

He nods to himself and looks up. A few ideas swirling in his mind, but nothing truly concrete.

He readies himself and presses the trigger, knowing the length is going to help him. He makes his way across the bridge, stepping over crumbling stones and scattered ashes. Up ahead he sees more smoke, coming from what looks like piles of charred bodies. A harsher wave of that smell of burning, rotting flesh hits him; making him gag.

He doesn't get a chance to reel from the smell as two more of the beasts rush out of the smoke to meet him. He grits his teeth and quickly dries his watering eyes, dodging the quick attack and paying the attacks back.

They dodge and duck under his attacks, dancing around him until they try to get a hit in. They miss most of the time, succeed in others. They're smart, and quick, and resiliant, and really _really_ annoying.

Shoto jumps back to avoid a swipe from one, taking out his pistol and shooting the other one. While the second one quickly recovers from the bullet, Shoto rushes forward to take care of the first beast, as he raises his weapon the beast manages to claw at his side. Only giving a grunt of pain as he brings the weapon down again, and again. He looks back when he hears the other beast running at him. He quickly pulls the weapon out of the wounded beast and strikes the one coming up on him. While the beast growls in pain he looks abck to the wounded one and shoots it, then shoots the one in front of him.

He finishes off the second beast, looking at the wound he received.

' _There is no way I'm going to be able to get out of any of this without a scratch...those things can send poison into my system every time they hit me, but how much exactly can my body take? If that one swipe is anything to go off of, it's not too bad_ _. I'll just have to be mindful of the poison._ '

Shoto walks forward, ignoring the wound on his side. None of the beasts really drop any blood vials, so he'll have to use his sparingly. Although they do drop those blood ems rather generously. He stops in front of a sleeping beast, it hadn't noticed him yet, good.

He raises the saw cleaver, winding up the attack. He hears that hum and brings it down, waking the beast the forcing it to the ground. It growls as it tries to get to his feet, only to suffer another blow that finishes it off.

Shoto sighs as he teps back, noticing something above where the beast was sleeping. He looks up, seeing a body hanging upside down dressed in a red cloak. The arms bents, hands tied above it's head. He looks at the body hanging upside down, the shape reminding him of something.

"Those things those guys were carrying..." He says softly, remembering the beasts that carried the crucifixes. "And it also looks like..." He looks through his bag, pulling out the gift frm Eileen. He pulls out one of the thin, yellow papers with a symbol drawn in black ink. He holds up the mark, and looks at the body, seeing the resemblance.

"Either this is a common practie around here," He puts the paper away. "Or the symbol actually means something." He sighs, looking around the area.There are a set of stairs that lead down, furhter into the town, as well as two area off to either of the building the body hangs from.

He opts to head to the far end, then make his way back. Considering how large the area he's currently in is, there can't be that much to explore until he heads down the stairs. He readies himself and goes off to the right of the building, making his way past that dead, barren tree. Walking past a stack of sacks, full of who knows what. Then past yet another withered tree, that leads to a small space in between the building and the battered and rusted railing.

Shoto squeezes past that small space and walks into a small area, yet another withered tree and off on the corner was a large group of more hooded statues, their heads bowed to the ground, weeping in their misery.

He walks forward to insepct the statues when he notices a dead body sitting against the wall, next to the statues. His clothes were that of a normal civilian, that simple shirt, trounsers and hat. From his body two stone blood shards grow, easily taken.

After making sure there's nothing else he leaves the area, then goes back around the other side of the buildings. Walking past the flaming pyres, and more dead trees. His footsteps echoing and alterting a larger, hooded version of the beasts that initially attacked him.

It lets out a deep gutteral growl, and stalks towards him, it's claws stretched out. Shoto huffs and runs towards the beast, raising his saw cleaver and pulling out the pistol. He brings the cleaver down, only for the beast to dodge to the side. He points the gun at it's face, too slow. He was grabbed by the beast and the beast _threw up_ on him, spitting up a foul murky substance. The sharpened claws digging into his arms, until they finally throw him to the ground.

Shoto yells as he falls to the ground, coughing as his lungs begin to burn. He rolls out of the way of quick swipes, backing up while keeping a hand over his throat. He gets to his feet wobbling, he cringes at the sticky, foul substance he's covered in.

He dodges out of the way of a charge attack, reaching into his bag for an antidote, feeling his insides burning; as if he's rotting away from the inside.

He downs one of the small white tabllets and shoots the monster mid attack, hearing that noise and forcing the beast to it's knees. He growls as he runs up, thrusting his hand into the beast's abdomen and pulling out it's innards.

He watches the beast fall to the ground and struggle to get back up, only for it to fall to the ground dead. Shoto huffs as he walks past the beast, the whatever the things was guarding. But not before taking yet another blood gemstone from the body. He walks over to the item the beast was guarding, frowning when he picks it up. It was just another lump of blood.

He huffs and crushes it, going towards the stairs. He walks down the stairs, seeing a small group of the normal and hooded beasts walking towards him.

""You are a skilled hunter."

Shoto brings the saw cleaver down in a wide arc, forcing the ones that were charging at him to the ground.

"Adept, merciless, half cut with blood."

He shoots one of them and hacks away at the other, taking a swipe from one of the smaller ones. Only gritting his teeth and retaliating with yet another shot from his gun, then a small wave of ice. Implaing a few of them and making another back away in shock and surprise.

He jumps back as one of the larger beasts try to grab at him, one of two left. As soon as the creature tires itself out from it's quick succession of attacks Shoto rushes in and swipes at the creature, letting it fall to the ground before attacking the next one, ducking under a swipe and shooting the beast. Making it stumble back for a moment, giving him the window he needed to finish it off.

He pants, sweat dripping off of his chin. His clothes damp with his hard work of the hunt, cutting down the monsters that stand in his way to move forward. Seemingly the only thing he can really do.

He picks up a few items, a bloodgem, a few blood vials, and another antidote.

After packing those into his bag he moves down the stairs, walking into slightly larger area. More burning pyres, miserable stone statutes, and what looks like scaffolding off to the side. He walks past the statues and looks around.

He has a better view of the clocktower now, and he can see a person sitting on top of it. Sitting next to some sort of contraption. On the ground a man walks around, passing by a few of the large crows, occasionally giving them a pat on the head. He carries a weapon exactly like Izuku's, a saw spear, and what looks like a pistol. He patrols around the area, walking past another smoking pyre, past broken and worn down statutes with stones crumbling off of them.

"Which is why I must stop you." The voice speaks out again, causing Shoto to look up, seeing the device rotate; pointing towards him. He raises an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding what the man meant by 'stopping him' if he wasn't coming down to fight Shoto himself.

His eyes widen once he sees a series of bullets racing towards him.

"Shit!" He dashes away from the bullets, hearing them sparking at his feet as he runs. He tries to make some kind of shield with his ice, futile. The racing bullets shattering the ice at his feet as it appears.

Shoto dashes behind a stone statue that sits next to an exposed area, no railing to protect anyone from falling. As the bullets rain down upon him the ground begins to crumble.

"How many-FUCK!" THe ground gave way under him and sent him falling. He yells in pain as he crashed into the ground, his head hitting a stone railing. He groans, laying there for a moment.

He then realizes he's not being shot at anymore, he can't hear the sound of the machine gun.

He sits up, flinching. His head is pounding, he feels a bit of blood trickle down the side of his face. He slowly gets to his feet, using the wall to steady himself. He stabs himself in the leg, feeling the wounds heal themselves, his head begins to clear up; no longer pounding.

Shoto huffs as he looks around, not sure where to go next. He spots another dead body, sitting against the stone. He walks over and takes a bloodstone shard growing out of the man's back. He looks over the plain man, most likely killed by the beasts around here. Of course, what else could have done him in?

He turns around and sees a doorway, at least it's a way out.

He walks over and looks into the room, seeing one of the larger, hooded beasts looking over a dead body.

Shoto pulls out his saw cleaver and creeps forward, watching the beast pick at the dead body, a glow coming from it.

The growls are soft, almost gentle. They seem almost sad in a way, like it was crying.

Shoto stands behind the beast, bracing himself and pulling the cleaver back. As he hears that hum, the beast whirls around, realizing he was there. The beast didn't get a chance to react as Shoto brought the weapon down. Cutting deeply into the beast's face, making it reel back and growl loudly.

While it reels in pain Shoto brings the cleaver down again and again, until the beast falls to the ground. Allowing Shoto access to both the body and temporary safety. He wipes his brow, walking towards the corpse. He kneels down and picks up a a few more antidotes, good. He'll probably need them.

He walks up a small set of stairs, walking up to a pieces of crumbling wall. He moves past it, looking up at the machine gun. It's not firing at him, did it run out of ammo? He watches the top of the clocktower for a moment before looking down, sweat dripping off his chin.

The man was still walking around, not seeming to notice Shoto yet. As soon as the man disappears into the smoke, Shoto takes the chance and jumps down, looking around as he lands.

Before he even gets to walk forward a crow jumps up and attacks him, it's sharp beak pecking at his head. While he deals with the pest he hears the sound of the large machine moving. He looks up and sees more bullets racing towards him. He swears and runs towards a statue for cover, not seeing the sleeping nest of crows. As he dahses behind the statue he ends up stepping on a few of them, waking them up into an angry fit.

"Son of a-" He backs up as they all leap into the air, trying to peck at him. He gasps as the statue that had given temporary cover shattered into pieces. A few of the bullets catch him in the chest and he's sent flying off the edge, not noticing there was nothing there to keep form from plummeting to his doom.

Or so he thought when he fell onto a hard platform of concrete sticking out of the wall. He looks up and sees more bullets coming for him, he looks around.

With no other exits and even more bullets coming after him; he turns around and jumps. Surprised to see another platform there, not a painful death.

He lands, and steps onto a ledge, the bullets and beasts unable to reach him.

He takes a moment to catch his breath adn heal himself, looking around and seeing no other way to go but down.

"I fucking hate this place." He growls as he jumps down, being met with a doorway. Once again, no other way to go. He walks through, and stops.

In one corner was a large hooded beast, there was a lump of moving cloth on the other side of the room. Stright ahead were a set of stairs that led to rafters above, and up there he sees a large group of the beasts he fought first. The small, angry, mangy ones that like to claw at you. And then there was that curious, tempting reasure chest right next to the stairs.

"I hate this place so much." He mutters, looking through his bag for anything that could help. A few molotavs, the antidotes, fire paper.

The fire paper, that's right didn't Alfred say that fire was effective? Yeah, yeha he did.

Shoto pulls out a fire paper, then looks at his left hand. He scowls, putting the rough paper near his weapon.

Just rub it right?

Yup.

As soon as he started rub the two together his weapon set ablaze, only the blade burning the fire didn't dare travel up the handle.

He looks around, deciding who to attack first. The one that stands in the corner? Or rushing up the stairs?

If he runs past it and heads up the stairs, he'll have that whole horde to deal with. And then that'll that it's attention and it'll end up biting him in the ass. Whereas if he kills the ones on the bottom first, he still doesn't trust that lump of cloth, then he can take care o the horde that will come down. They'll have to head down the stairs, so that can give him the time he needs.

He takes a deep breath and readies himself, looking up for a moment before turning his eyes towards his prey. After hearing nothing head down the stairs he runs towards the beast. It hears his footsteps and turns around, only growling and raising it's arm to strike. Only to be slashed across the chest, flames catching on the wild fur and the sheet making it flail wildly in a panic.

Shoto watches the beast struggle with the sheet it wears as the lump of cloth slowly gets up, turning towards him. He knew it!

He dashes forward, about to strike the beast when it ends up hitting him first; forcing him to the ground. He rolls out of the way as the creature comes to probably vomit poison all over him again. He rolls to his feet and swings the cleaver down on the outstretched arm, cutting if off and making the beast writhe in pain. He quickly finishes it off and and steps back, listening for the sound of the beasts upstairs.

He hears the sound of them heading down the stairs, old woods creaking under their weight. He quietly walks forward, looking to his weapon. The flames were begginning to dwindlw and go out. He frowns and sees the first beast step down from the stairs, he charges towards it. Swinging the flaming cleaver, the flames catch onto the beast, then he moves onto the ext one and the next. There was indeed small mob upstairs.

The first few went down easily, but the rest were aware of Shoto's presence, making them more wary of the danger. As a few rush down towards him, there was just one that stood at the top of the stairs, a large one covered in a bloodstained sheet. It only watches as Shoto fight against the smaller, quicker fiends.

As soon as there's only one left, the creature, going unnoticed by the distracted teen.

As sson as the last beast falls dead to the ground he takes a minute to catch his breath, wiping some of the blood from his face. His clothes were soaked in blood, both his own and the beasts'.

He soon regains his energy and heads back down the stairs, time to check out that chest and gather his fruits of labor. He jumps over the railing and goes over to the chest. He opens it to find a bloodgem. He takes it, looking it over. It looked a bit bigger than the other ones, by just a bit.

He then heads over to the beast corpses and gathers a few blood vials and antidotes. Useful items.

He pockets them and heads up the stairs, looking around for any remaining beasts. He finds none, so he moves forward. A long hallway, he passes withering stone pillars and rotting wooden boxes. As he walks be doesn't see the beast hiding next to the large wooden cabinet, still as a statue.

As soon as he passes the beast turns it's head towards him, and creeps up behind him.

Shoto suddenly stops walking, hearing a loud guttural panting he hadn't heard before. The silence being disturbed, he whirls around to meet the beast face to face. The flame dies as he tries to react quickly; only to be tackled the pinned to the wall.

He yells as the beast digs it's claws into his shoulders, the claws going through his flesh and into the wall. He tries to move his arms, the attempt sending white hot pain shooting throughout his body. He yells even louder as the beast digss it's teeth into him, biting down and sending potent poison into his system.

He grits his teeth, trying to shake the monster off. He yells as he hones in on his quirk, concentrating his energy. He growls as fire violently erupts from his left side, yelling as he engulfs the beast in his flames. As quickly as he summoned his power, it snuffed out; leaving a flailing monster trying to put the fire out. The smell of burning flesh and fur.

Shoto falls to the side, destroying a few old pots. He drops his saw cleaver, it clatters to the ground and falls away; out of reach.

He looks up and sees the raging, flaming beast rush towards him. He reaches out his right hand out of surprised instinct, only to feel that hollow sensation in his chest. He reaches for soemthing to attack the beast the idea of his gun not coming fast enough. He reaches behind him, feeling some kind of staff object. He grabs it swings a spear at the beast, impaling it through the chest.

Shoto watches the flames die, and the beast go limp, falling to the ground. He leans against the wall, getting his energy back before stabbing himself in the leg and healing his injuires. After he gets his saw cleaver back he looks back to the spear he had used. He picks it up and looks it over.

Long range, an average weight. He sees what looks like a trigger on one side, he presses it; hearing a shot go off. Just like a gunshot, he jumped in surprised, confused. The only indication he had that it was him was from the thin line of smoke coming from the other end of the weapon.

A second weapon, good. If he should happen to lose his cleaver he can use the spear. He huffs as he puts it on his back for later use. He then starst heading up the stairs, watching every corner. He's had just about enough of all these poison potent, blanketed, vomitting beasts.

He makes his way up another set of stairs, then down a long hallway. He keeps walking down it, looking around, listening for any kind of noises. He stops when he sees a small exit from this fresh hell he's in, he looks over to it and sees two of those beasts hanging out by yet another set of stairs.

He frowns and turns another corner, walking down another long hallway. The wooden floorboards creaking from his every movement. He kept down the long hallway until he walked up to a burnt dead body, tied to a chair. In the lap of the man is a set of clothes.

Shoto raises an eyebrow and looks around for any monsters, none of the ones outside seem to be taking any interest in him. Not even noticing him. He waits for a moment before sheathing his weapons and grabbing the clothes, looking over them.

The clothes were similar to Izuku's except they were burnt, the ends of the cape was in tatters and the trousers are burnt at the ends. That's alright he could just tuck the ends into the boots. There are metal gloves, covered in ash smelling of smoke.

He looks around, perfect privacy.

He quickly strips off his current clothes, the ones he received from the Messengers a while ago; what felt like a long time ago at this point. He pulls the trousers on then puts on the boots, tucking the ends of the trousers in them. Then he pulls on the thick shirt and then the overcoat.

He sighs in contentment, compared to his previous set, these were much more cleaner. He looks over the clothes, feeling the thicker cloth. With how hot it already is, the clothes cause a bit more suffering, but it's not unbearable.

He sighs deeply and heads towards the the doorway he spotted earlier. As he walks up to it, preparing himself for the two beasts he catches something in the corner of his eye. It glistens softly in the darkness. He looks between the exit and the glow, deciding to head toward the glow with the utmost caution.

He walks over to the small glow and kneels down. A piece of paper, burnt at the edges. There's a small golden coin on it that seems to have kept it in place. It's covered in soot, but somehow still able to give off that glow.

He picks up the piece of paper, looking at the hurried scribbles, somehow still legible.

 _The red moon hangs low, and beasts rule the streets. Are we left no other choice, than to burn it all to cinders?_

"The red moon? Burn it to cinders...definitely means Old Yharnam. It has to, where else could it be talking about. Unless...this has happened before, in some other location. But if that could was the case why would the note be here if it from from another place? But that doesn't put out the possibility of this event happening at least once before...does it?" He asks himself, his voice echoing in the empty building.

Shoto sighs after a moment, shoving the note into his bag and heading towards the exit. Time to get back to work...

He runs towards the exit, jumping out and surprising the two beasts. He yells as he cuts into the first one, digging the weapon into the first one's shoulder. Yanking it out and shooting it, then rushes towards he second one, about to impale it when a barrage of bullets heads towards him. Causing him to back pedal, and rush up the stairs, the small wall providing him cover. He shoots the unharmed beast as it approaches him, then throws a molotav.

The flames of the bottle hit both of the beasts, killing them.

As Shoto waits for the long barrage to end, he hears footsteps running towards him. A yell as someone jumps towards him.

He grunts as he rolls forward, avoiding being impaled by the enemy hunter. He rolls to the side to avoid another swipe and a set of bullets. He dances around the attacks and bullets, practically dancing with death.

It wan't until the bullets stopped, that he made a run for it. Throwing himself out into the open, exposed, no cover.

He rushes through the smoke that burns his eyes and nostrils as he runs through it. His eyes dart around until he sees a way down, towards the clocktower. He yells as a bullet buries itself into his back, pain shooting throughout his body. It hit _hard_ , unlike any other bullet he;s been hit by. Even Gascoigne's gun didn't do this much damage, or cause that much pain.

He dashes down the small stairs, jumping down and running past a closed door. Probably a shortcut he can reach later, but that isn't really his focus right now. He looks around again and sees a path straight ahead and a ladder, he head towards the ladder, jumping up and grabbing onto the rungs he can reach with that leap. He quickly scrambles up the ladder, thinking the saw spear hunter was following him.

He makes it to the top of the ladder and backs away, panting and taking a moment to look down. There at the bottom of the ladder he sees the saw spear hunter standing at the base, looking up at him. Shoto feels the glare the hunter gives him as he slowly backs away, not even touching the ladder.

As Shoto watches the man back away he realizes where he is...the clocktower. And on top of the clocktower was that bastard that controls that damn machine gun. As soon as the man fades from his sight Shoto backs away from the ladder and turns around. Right there, a few feet ahead of him to the left was a very, _very_ tall ladder.

He heads over to the ladder, and readies his weapons. He takes a deep breath and grasps one of the rungs and places his feet on the first rung. As soon as he's about to head up the ladder he hears a loud grunt from up above. He looks up and stops, seeing a figure on top. He holds something in his hands, a molotav.

Shoto feels the glare from the man, that hateful, piercing glare charged with contempt. He steps off the ladder and backs up, putting his hands up. They stare at each other for a moment, until the man at the top of the tower pelts the molotav at Shoto, not to hit him but to give him a warning. The firey bottle lands at his feet, the flames not taking to his already chared outfit.

Shoto looks back up at the man and backs away a bit further, fine. He'll deal with that guy later. He might be able to circle around after a while and deal with him. He sees the man watch him for a minute, before turning his back.

Shoto turns around, looking over his shoulder every once in a while to see if the hunter were to come down. He moves forward until he comes up to a drop, great. Going further underground, he looks around not seeing anything waiting for him below. He sighs as he drops down, grunting as he lands. The fall was rather far down, and there was no way to get back up. Perfect, just perfect.

He looks forward, seeing way across to what looked like scaffolding, high up. And right in front of his way there was another hooded beast. It was slightly leaning over the edge, as if waiting for someone or something. He creeps up, bringing the cleaver back. As the beast turns towards him he slashes it across the face and makes it tumble off of the ledge and down to the not so far ground.

He looks down to the monster as it gets to it's feet and looks up at him, screeching loudly. He raises an eyebrow, that was new. None of the other ones would scream. It continues to screech at him, watching him walk across the platform and into a darker place.

As soon as he walked into the next area, a wave of a putrid, rotting stench hit his nose. Far more potent than the now distant smell of burning corpses, the coppery stench of blood, the stench of still living, murderous beasts. He gags and covers his mouth and nose, eyes watering. That mouth covering Midoriya never really used would really come in handy right about now.

Shoto waits for a moment before standing up straight, and practically forcing himself to breathe in and out. Forcing himself to take in that rancid smell, making himself adjust to it. Yeah, he really hates this place. And as much as he'd like to leave this hellhole, he can't. There's something down there, as he goes down further and furhter he can _feel_ something. Like a pull, an unconscious demand that has him going farther than he really wants to.

He shudders as he breathes in again, there, not so bad anymore. He looks around, looking for a real path to take.

Looking around he realizes he's on scaffolding, very high up. There are different levels of the scaffolding, each lower than the one he's currently on. There parts of the scaffolding that were collapsed and unstable. From where he stands he can see there's a pathway he can take, he would have to walk across a ceiling support beam in order to get down at a safer rate. Jumping down would just be suicidal.

He makes his way across one of the fragile wooden bridges, the wood creaking rather loudly under his feet. He manages to cross that first stretch, getting to a wooden railing held together by only rope, a few rusty nails, and sheer luck.

Shoto looks over and turns his eyes downwards, his eyes widening.

"What the hell is that?" He asks himself, his voice quiet. There was a giant monster hanging from some kind of chandelier of sorts, held up by ropes and it's skin stretched out. Revealing the withered, rotting head of the massive creature. Below the hanging beast that sways so slightly, it almost makes him nervous, are more of the beasts he initially found. They appeared to be worshipping the creature...what the actual hell?

As he looks over the railing he doesn't hear the sound of a rope, slowly fraying and letting off the tinest sounds off snapping. As the rope holding up a large jar of oil snaps loudly, causing Shoto the startle and plant his foot on a more withered part of the platform, his foot goes through and he hears a loud screech. As soon as the monster screams there's the sound of a jar smashing, then the violent wooshing of flames accompanies by the loud screams of beasts being consumed by flames.

As the flames catch onto everything, quickly devouring the rotting woods of the scaffolding, making it break apart and crash into the ground below. As Shoto had gotten his foot free and was about to run out of the burning worshipping ground the support below him collapsed along with everything, throwing him into the merciless flames. In a bout in bot instict and panic he reaches out his left hand, conjuring up every bit of energy he could manage and lets out a wave of ice as he falls.

The flames immediately near him snuff out as he collides with the bloody ground, his scream of pain echoing throughout the burning building as he feels something in his arm _snap_.

The pain is blinding, sending bright vibrant starts dancing in his vision of flames, blood, and ice. He tries to prop himself up, only to let out another scream of pain, wrong arm. He pants as he manages to get on unsteady feet, his head spinning and body burning. He looks around in a daze, watching the wooden beams fall in on themselves, crushing the beasts that try to escape the flames so desperately.

Through his blurry vision he sees some kind of altar with a few strange items on it. The few beasts that are able to move crawl so desperately towards it, one of them tries to crawl past the thing and ends up collasping. An escape, an exit!

Before he can really process it he's already dashing towards the small altar, unconsciously grabbing the items on the altar and runs past the dying beast. He runs out of the building and into the open air of the underground. He coughs violetly as he leans against the wall, walking away from the burning building. He makes it down a set of stairs and then collapses onto his back. He reaches for the blood vials in his bag, grabbing one and managing to stab himself in the leg.

He grunts as he feels the bones he didn't know were broken suddenly snap back in place and correct themselves. The tightness in his throat is relieved and and pounding in his head slowly fades away. He lays there for a while, catching his breath and willing himself to his feet. He groans as he manages to sit up, holding his head as lightheaded-ness hits him hard. He takes a deep breath as he gets to his feet, now that he was up he could move forward.

Shoto rubs his temples as he walk forward, reaching an overlook of what seems to be his destination. He sees large, darkened houses everywhere, a road cutting through them and leading to...

He heads up the stairs and walks forward, until he sees it. An old decrepit church that lies across the valley. He frowns as he hones his focus in on the church, he feels it. That tug, that pull, the demand for him to move forward. Something is calling out to him, something he can't quite place.

"What are you?" He asks aloud, watching the chruch. He finally turns around to move forward into the underground. As he's about to turn into a darker area where fading smoke comes to meet him, he sees a metal door almost hidden by a few more statues.

He heads over to the door, skeptical about opening it. He puts a hand on the handle and pulls, being met with a loud noise.

"For once, there's an open door. Finally." He mutters, stepping inside to see a tall ladder.

He looks at the ladder, his mind trying to think where it could lead when he suddenly connects it. That door he passed while he was running from the barrage of bullets and the saw spear hunter.

"He'll still be waiting for me, probably still on high alert. So I won't go after him, but if something happens to me then I can just run back here using the short cut." He tells himself as he starts to climb the ladder, rung after rung, higher and higher. About halfway up he can feel the hot air from above, and smell the stench of scorched flesh and smoke. He reaches the top and looks through the open grates of the door, not seeing any sign of beasts or the hunters.

He pushes the door open and looks around, the sky was still a cloudy crimson with streaks of orange running through it. He hums to himself as he retreats back down the ladder, back to the cool underground air, and other dangers that await.

As soon as he he makes it back down he looks through his bag to do a recheck on his supplies. He stops, counting only 8 blood vials in his bag, as well as 6 bullets. He curses under his breath. Low on healing suplies, that means he can't be clumsy. There isn't much more room to make mistakes. Low on bullets, so getting up close and personal is going to have to become his favorite strategy. As well as tanking hits, and knowing when too much is too much.

He frowns, cursing himself. He should have used them more sparingly. He readies himself and presses the trigger on his weapon. Right now, he can only hope that the beasts will drop blood vials and bullets. He walks forward to a set of stairs, headin to the bottom and being set with smoking piles of burnt bodies, just like the ones above. He stands there for a moment, looking around. There's something hiding in the smoke, or somethings.

He strikes the ground with his cleaver, the noise echoing throughout the small area. He narrows his eyes as he hears the growls of three beasts. Three of the small beasts come rushing out of the smoke, leaping up to tackle him down.

Shoto steps to the side and brings the cleaver down on one of the beasts. He rips the weapon from the beast's back and jumps back, taking a molotav and throwing it at the other two, setting them ablaze and finishing off the first one.

He huffs and kneels down to the bodies, an antidote, another bloodgem. And a blood vial, yes!

He pockets the items and heads forward past the smoke. He walks until he sees a strange little creature waddle around at his feet. He looks down and sees a tiny little thing, covered with so many grotesque faces. It hisses at him and tries to scitter away, beginning to disappear.

Shoto didn't let the creature get very far, it only ran to the railing before it was cut in half. It hisses quietly as it dies, bloodstone shards appearing at the wound. He quickly collects them and then looks up. He hears something flowing, rushing through. The splish splash of water. He quickly stands up then looks over the railing where the little creature ran to.

There was water indeed, running under the city. As he looks over the water a smell reaches him, he confused look finds his face after a moment.

The smell the water gave off, or at least he assumed it was the water, was a potent bitter smell. It burned his nostrils as he breathed it in, burned his throat. He coughs and steps away from the railing, away from the water. He coughs as he looks through his bag for an antidote, grabbing it and taking it. The burning feeling fading away- poison.

"Poisoned water." He mutters to himself, looking around. "If this is their main water source, and it's been poisoned...they would need antidotes." He says to himself, a few pieces connecting together. Shoto walks past the railing and to a set of stairs, at the bottom are broken gates.

 _If the water was poisoned_ _, then that must have been the cause of the 'ashen blood'._

Shoto heads down the stairs, then quickly steps back and hides himself. Right outside the gate, there were two of those black wolves walking about. They snarl and growl to each other as they stalk around. Shoto looks to the ground and grabs a small pebble.

 _That's when the antidotes must have come into play. Thay would need some kind of relief from their condition._

Shoto watches the wolves walk around, they turn their backs to head down one road. Shoto waits for them to stalk off, to head down that long road straight ahead. He sees one walk off down the path, and the other one stays at the start of the other road. Shoto frowns and looks to see if the wolf is far enough down the road, he can't see it. He steps out slightly, not enough to be seen.

Shoto pulls his arm back, aiming for somewhere down the long road. He grits his teeth and throws the pebble, watching it soar through the air and hit the wall with a loud clacking noise. The black wolf looks up, growling at the sudden disturbance. It begins to walk to the source of the noise, leaving the way open.

 _They'd want some kind of cure, and what better sure than blood that could heal everything? And only one party had the ability to distribute the blood._

He waits for it to travel down the road a bit before dashing off, unable to resist grabbing a glow from a body. Grabbing four bottle stained with blood, they gave off a strong sweet smell. Shoto ran down the road, crossing a small bridge and coming upon a fork in the road.

 _The Healing Church._

Shoto looks behind him, not seeing any sign of the two wolves coming his way yet. He does a quick look over his options, heading straight ahead, or take the path to the left that probably leads nowhere. He doesn't have any time to waste, he starts to head forward. As he runs past a set of doors yet another balck wolf bursts out from them. Shoto hadn't been able to react fast enough when it came at him, pinning him to the ground and biting into his arm.

He yells in pain as his right arm is bitten into, he grabs his gun and shoots the beast in it's head. It lets go for a moment, now upset that it's prey was struggling. Shoto g summons his flames, making the beast jump back as it was burned. Shoto gets to his feet and jumps back, his flames soon going out as he grabs a molotav. He watches the beast bite at the fading flames, only for it to be consumed by fire again thanks to a molotav.

As the balck wolf howls loudly and snarls Shoto rushes up and beheads the beast, silencing it. Shoto looks down the bridge and sees the two wolves walking back. He swears hunder his breath and runs inside the building. Deciding it would be best to keep low and wait for them to pass. He runs inside the building and was met with another one of the smaller beasts. It snarls and swipes at him, cutting into his side before losing an arm and it's life.

Shoto pants as he sits on the stairs, hearing a growl of the passing beasts.

 _No wonder the chruch wanted to hide this._

Shoto frowns as he stands up, heading up the stairs. There was nothing stopping the beasts from coming into the building if they even so much as _thought_ there was a meal in there. If he was further up, he would have the advantage of knowing they were following him, there was no way they could walk around in silence.

 _They didn't want their reputation ruined, they didn't want people to doubt their power. Doubt the blood._ _When in all reality it was probably the blood that did this to them. Right?_

Shoto climbs the stairs, higher and higher, a large winding staircase that only leads upwards. A relief almost, seeing as he's only been going further and further down. He passes an open room he doesn't really have any interest in looking into. He keeps climbing until he reaches a door and more stairs.

He tilts his head, listening for any noise. None, complete silence. Except for the distant crackling of fires, fire from above. He looks up, moving forward to open the door ignoring the loud sqeak of the rusty hinges and stepping out. He looks around and sees a wooden pathway to the left. He heads that way, walking up the ramp, and turning when he came up upon a ladder. He looks up, and sees a tower above.

He begins to climbs the wooden ladder, finding it was sturdy enough to support him. He climbs up and up, his arm burning in pain. He finally reaches the top and looks around, eyes widening as he realizes where he is.

He's gone right back to the beginning, those doors that lead him into this place of fire and beasts. He looks to the doors, he could turn back now and none would be the wiser. Who knows what the other two are up to anyway, they might be already down exploring. If that were the case, Midorya would probably be worrying about him and go down the path Shoto had taken to find him. A grumpy Bakugo in tow.

Unless Bakugo beat Midoriya up and made him not go, that was a possibility he didn't like. Then again he would have just let the nerd go alone.

As the thought of going back crosses his mind he feels that pull, that tug and calls and demands him to return back to the underground. He grunts as a headache starts up, and a small ringing resounds in in his ears. Calling out to him, pulling him back down.

He wasn't sure what it was, what made him climb back down the ladder and head back inside the building with the winding staircase. He mentally struggles with himself as he feels his feet move, down, down, down. Back into the cool underground where the dark and decrepit church lie. He wasn't he was holding his breath until he stepped out into the open again, the ringing a faint noise now.

He frowns as finally comes to, that strange force relenquishing control over him. He stumbles forward, holding his head. What was that?

He looks around, the black wolves were across the bridge. Walking away from his direction. He was back where he was before, now, which path to choose was the question. One road obiously lef him towards the church, but what about the one that was now straight ahead. Shoto heads forward, away from the main road. He felt like defying that annoying ringing in his ears. He moves forward, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

As he walks forward and turns into a small alleyway. He walks forward, walking up to a pile of sacks and boxes. He looks through a few of the boxes and sacks, not finding anyhing of interest until he finds six large pellets. They stood out among the other items, like they were important. He looks them over and puts them in his bag. He'll look into them later.

As he turns around to leave the alleyway he sees another one of the black wolves waiting for him, drooling and snarling at him.

 _Dammit._

Shoto jumps to the side as the beast charges towards him, the claws barely grazing him as he presses himself into the wall. As the beast crashes into the boxes he runs out of the alley and runs towards the main road. He didn't have the space, time, or blood vials to be dealing with the beast. He dashes down the road, rounding a corner and running further down. Flinching when a lou screech echoes through the area, there was another one of those beasts.

He can't see it, so opts to keep running until he runs into yet another one of the black wolves. He meets the blood red eyes of the beast, and looks back to see the first one still chasing after him. He sees the red one stand on it's hind legs for a moment before lunging at him, it was barely avoided. Shoto jumped to the side and saw the two beasts crash into each other, snarling and clawing at each other as Shoto ran off.

Shoto ran up a small incline and saw a set of stairs leading downwards. To the church, so close!

He looks over his shoulder and sees the two beasts running at him, pure rage in their eyes. He looks back towards the church and dashing down the stairs, hearing the growls and snarls behind him. As he runs down the stairs anoher one of the scittering creatures sees him, trying to run away out of panic. As it runs down the stairs, Shoto doesn't sees it and ends up tripping over it, tumbling down the stairs with the small creature following after him.

He grunts pain as he hits the stone stairs, falling down them and rolling to the ground. He groans as he gets up, feeling a few places where he knew bruises would show up. He scowls at the little creature that fell down with him, hissing at him and running off to disappear. While he watches it run off, he catches movement at the top of the stairs. He looks up and sees the two wolves snarling at him, but not darking to come down after him.

The one with red eyes growls at him, then backs away; it's fellow beast in tow.

Shoto huffs as he stands up, taking a moment to catch his breath before turning to the ruined church that looms over him.

 _In there_

A voice speaks in his mind, that tugging feeling that calls him to the church. He walks forward, occasionally looking behind him just to make sure nothing was following him.

He walks forward, turning his eyes forward. Walking across the dark road, with small fires that burn behind large bulders. Overgrown ivy creeping everywhere, still living in this harsh underground. He makes his way up the short amount of stairs.

Shoto stands at the entrance, looking inside. There was something at the far end of the church. It was big, and was shaking violently. He walks inside, the moment he steps in he feels an unsettling quiet and fear come over him. The monster stands still, watching him.

He keeps walking forward, pressing the trigger of his cleaver and keeping a tight grip on his gun. As he's halfway across the large room he hears it. The loud, raspy screech of the grotsque creature he can now clearly see.

It's on all fours, like so many of the beasts he saw on his way down. It has what looks like it's own flesh draped over it's head, concealing whatever face the beast has. It looked like the thing hanging from the ceiling in that building that burnt down. It's sharp claws clack againt the stone flooring as it stalks towards him with an unsettling calm. He can practically feel it's nonexistant eyes staring into his being, a craving for his flesh, the craving of his life, the desperate want to feed on his blood.

He pulls out a fire paper and sets his weapon ablaze as he continues to walk forward. He grits his teeth as a feeling of dread appears in the pit of his stomach.

As they walk towards each othe the large beast decides to make the first move, rasing a claw and dashing forward to strike the boy. Barely missing thanks to a well timed roll out of the way. It quickly turns itself around, backing up by one of the pillars. It screeches and shakes it's head before dashing at him again, it's claws striking the ground in an angry frenzy.

It was fast, and unpredictable. It would dash past but turn around and try to tear you to pieces.

Shoto manages to get in close and slash at the arms, he tries to back up when it gets up on it's hind legs and brings it's claw down. It slashes Shoto across the chest, then a second time, then a third. That sends the young man falling back, only able to roll out of the way as it tries to tear him apart.

It backs away after a minute, watching the hunter get to his feet and ready himself. It seems a bit more wary now that it knows the hunter is capable of doing damage.

Shoto growls as he watches the beast, rolling out of the way as it dashes towards him, missing.

He takes note of the speed, and how the beast tends to overshoot it's strikes. Moving too fast to change direction in time to get a real hit in. Maybe he can use that.

Shoto watches it walk towards him again, raising a claw and bringing it down hard onto the ground where he was a moment ago. He ducked under the swipe and found himself behind the beast, perfect.

He yells as he brings the flaming weapon down on one of the hind legs, cutting into thin muscle and into sturdy bone. The beast screeches in pain and jumps away and turns around to face him. It growls and leaps forward at the boy.

Shoto backed away and looked through his bag, finding a molotav and throwing it. It hit the creature head on as it leapt towards him, making it crash to the side. It claws at the flames at burn into the gross skin flaps over it's head. It screeches as it tries to put the flames out, thrashing about wildly.

He huffs, of _course_. His fathers flames would be the one thing that could help him get through this hell. Of _course_ it coulnd't just have been the beasts above that were fearful to the flames. He scowls and rushes forward, hacking away at the muscles until the beast whirls around and swats him away. Making him slam into an already crumbling pillar.

He groans in pain and ducks down under the swipes to avoid death. However as he ducks down the beast managed to catch the straps of his bag, snapping in half and sending his belongings flying across the chruch.

"Dammit!" He yells as he sees a few items fall out of his bag. His last molotav, his hunter marks, his antidotes, the last fire paper, and more of those blood stained bottles go rolling out. He yells again as the beast nearly catches him, tearing the ground apart. Then soon calming back down and walking towards him.

Shoto looks to his weapon, scowling as he sees the flames dying. He grunts as he makes sweeping motion with his right arm, sending ice in the beast's direction. It screeches as the spike impale its, but quickly breaks away from it. It screams in rage as it races towards Shoto.

Shoto tries to get out of the way, the beast comes at him too fast. It barrels into him and flings him around until throwing the body across the room. It watches the body go tumbling, bloody being smeared across the broken stones.

Shoto groans as he hits a pillar, trying to reach his blood vials. His eyes widen as he only feels four left. He heals himself and looks up, seeing a few shattered glass bottles in the wake of his own smeared blood. He tries to sit up while his wounds heal, he looks up to see the beast rushing towards him.

He tries to reach for his gun or cleaver or even the spear, cursing when he sees they were far away. His quirk, he only felt that suffocatiing emptiness. He watches the beast barrel towards him, reaching to the side for anything to grab, anything to throw and cause the beast to stagger, just to give him a minute to gather his weapons. He grabs onto a bottle, thinking it was a molotav he threw it.

The bottle goes soaring over the beast's head, uselessly shattering against a pillar. He reaches out his left hand to summon flames, that empty feeling still there. As it comes upon him to end his life, it suddenly stops. It's claws inches away from Shoto's still healing body. It looks up, sniffing at the air. After a moment it screeches and turn it's back towards him, racing towards the shattering bottle where sweet red liquid stains the walls.

He watches in surprise and amazement as the beast tries to lap up the blood, screeching and howling as it claws at the area for more. Shoto snaps out of his surprised state and looks around, seing three bottles left, scattered about in the room. Fine, he can run around until he gets them. Right now his main focus are his weapons, racing towards them while watching the beast seek desperately for more blood.

He grabs them and runs towards his bag, grabbing two bottles along the way. He takes it and sees the torn straps, cursing as he tries to tie them together as quickly as he could. He looks up as the beast scream and turn towards him angrily.

 _Fuck it!_

He drops the bag and grabs an antidote and fire paper as the creature comes racing towards him again. It charges at him and cuts into his side, then tries to grab him. Shoto jumped back and threw a bottle at the wall behind a pillar.

Like before it had gone into a frenzy, screaming and running towards the sweet scent of blood. Shoto uses a fire paper and runs after the beast, hacking away at the beast as it goes crazy. He cuts into the hind legs and the back of the creature, cutting through the muscle and sending a small amount of blood spraying. The flames of his weapon spread across the body before quickly dwindling, burning the fire sensitive beast.

He keeps hacking away at the beast until it screams again and turns towards him quickly, catching him off guard and slashing at him across the chest. He yells in pain and backs up, jumping back a bit. He heals himself, cringing at the knowledge he now only has two vials left. He's making way too many mistakes, way to many.

Shoto looks towards the beast, seeing it dash towards him, once again missing him an overshooting the distance. He dodges to the side as it reaches it's claw high and swipes at him, again with it's other one. He backs up as it gets on it's hind legs and swipes at him, one, twice, thrice. Striking the pillar beside him, nearly beheading him. It stops for a moment, giving Shoto a window to attack; only for it to back up and growl at him.

 _How long is this going to go on?_

It dashes towards him again, missing him once more as it end up right behind him. He turns around and tries to avoid the three swipes it dishes out, angrily clawing into his chest and making him fall to the ground. HE grunts as he forces himself to roll out of the way despite his body's protests. He looks at his vials, only two.

 _Not yet, I can handle a bit more..._

He takes the bottle and throws it at another wall, sending the beast after it. He follows, once again hacking away at the creature. The flames of the paper gone.

As he slices into the beast he swears he feels his wounds healing ever so slightly. Not enough to stop the bleeding comepletely, but enough to slightly close them and ease the pain. Like he's stealing the creature's vitality.

He yells as he brings the cleaver down hard on the beast's leg, hearing a loud snap and an ear piercing howl of pain. He flinches at the ringing in his ears and sees the beast go still for a moment. He gathers his strength for another strong attack, until the grotesque creature howls even louder than before, shaking it's head and making the disgusting flesh draped over it wriggle and flap all over the place.

It turns towards him, quicker than he could register and swats him away, making him crash into a pillar. He yells in pain as he makes impact, reaching for a healing item. One left.

He looks up as the beast nears, a pale purple aura surrounding it. As it gets closer and he breathes in the discolored air; his lungs begin to burn, his insides are on fire. He coughs as he backs away, avoiding a deathly blow from the enraged beast. He continues to gain a bit of distance, finding that the poisoned air only stayed within a certain radius of the beast.

He looks around, he only had one antidote; where are the others? He had a few more, he knows he did!

Looking around he sees a few packets on the ground, crushed white pellets spilled out. He mentally curses as he continues to dodge and look for the antidotes. He spots an untoched packet near the bag he dropped a short while ago. He backs up and shoots the beast, then dashes to his bag.

As he runs away he hears the beast scream in rage, seems it didn't like to be shot at. He gets to the now ruined bag and looks through it. Three more antidotes, great. He looks over his shoulder to the beast that barrels towards him, tearing up the ground as it runs.

He ducks behind a pillar as claws at the ground he was on a moment ago. He looks around, he had a molotav, and at least one more of those blood bottles. He should have one more at least! He sees the beast creeping around the pillar with a sudden unsetlting calm. He brings the cleaver back and brings it down on the beast's face, blood spraying onto his face.

The beast howls in pain and holds it's head with one claw for a moment, giving Shoto a moment to back away form the poisonous aura. His eyes dart around as he looks for an item that could be his saving grace. His eyes catch a bottle lying on the ground, a bottle of fire. He almost laughs in relief as he grabs it, his eyes looking for the blood stained bottle. A small plan forming in his mind.

He sees the angered creature stalking towards him again as he looks around the massive church. He looks to the beast and shoots it again, frankly at this point any damage is good damage. He hears it sreech in anger as he dashes away, looking for that last bottle. He hears the beast crash into a pillar, overshooting yet another attack. His eyes widen as he finally spots the bottle, rushing over and grabbing it.

The beast howls as it starts to run at him again, leaping towards him and landing behind him. He turns around to face the beast only for it to grab him and slam him into the ground, pinning him. He yells as the long, sharped claws dig into his body, tearing into muscle, bone, organs; as he's forced to breathe in the thick, bitter air that burns his insides.

He coughs violently as he struggles, reaching for the molotav. He feels himself spit up blood, making the beast screech and open it's jaws wide. Just like he thought, he's only prey, a meal for the beast. He manages to grab the orange bottle and shoves it into the wide jaws on the beast, flames bursting. He screams as the claws tear themselves out of his body, so the beast can back away and howl in excruciating pain.

 _Last one..._

He stabs himself in the leg and downs an antidote. As he struggles to get to his feet he feels his burning insides heal, they stitch together. Shoto waits for a moment, gritting his teeth when he realizes the wounds were only partially healed. He swears as the beast finally settles down and turns towards him, a newfound rage filling it. It screeches as it runs towards him, crushing the last bottle filled with the sweet, pungent blood.

It doesn't even notice the sweet scent of the blood under it's feet. Shoto backs away, tightening his grip on his weapons. Fear coursing throughout his body.

He jumps back and shoots the beast, dodging under a few swipes and almost getting caught by the violent swipes.

Shoto knows he can't die, if he were to fall he would reawaken at the lamp; he knows this. But that doesn't stop the _fear_ of _dying_. Even if second chances are given, there's that feeling of finality. the primitive fear that drives one to survive. He thinks back to the suffocating darkness of death, the sudden cold terror of realization that he _died_. Death may not be permanent, but the fear always will be.

Shoto ducks behind a pillar and cirles around to attack the beast from behind. Getting a strike in before both he and the creature back away from each other. There was not much time to decide what to do next as the beast races towards him, clawing away at him.

He barely missed the first attack, only to get caught up in the naxt few swipes. The large claws cutting into him again and again, flinging him across the room. He coughs as he sits up, looking up to see the aggressive beast running towards him once more. Shoto grits his teeth as he leans against the large altar.

He takes an antidote and holds up his left arm. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. He grits his teeth as he begins to focus, trying to pull on the power of his quirk.

The creature is almost upon him, opening its jaws and reaching forward to tear him apart. Before he can activate his flames a figure appears in front of him seemingly out of no where, and brings a large, heavy weapon down on the head of the beast. It screams in pain as it's slammed to the ground, a white garb now stained in tainted blood.

"Seems I came just in time." A warm, friendly voice says. The figure looks over his shoulder to look at the injured boy.

"Alfred!" Shoto says loudly, surprised.

"I had a mild suspicion you may be in need of help, and it seems they've been proven true." He lightly tosses Shoto a blood vial. "I apologize, I can only spare one." He says as the beast slowly gets up on unsteady legs.

"Thank you Alfred..." Shoto mumbles as he heals himself, slowly getting to his feet.

"It is no problem my friend, after all; we are cooperators, are we not?" Alfred smiles, watching the beast back away and growls at them.

"I guess go." He hums, drawing his cleaver.

"You've done well with fighting off the beast. But now I feel it's time to finish the beast off." The older man says, putting the heavy weapon over his shoulder.

"I take it you have a plan?" Shoto asks, looking at the beast. Catching it slightly limping, the wounds it's accumulated and the toll they're beginning to take.

"Not at all, do you?" He asks, a smile still on his face. Shoto couldn't help but feel it was weird.

"Yeah." Shoto readies himself as he sees the beast screech at them, beginning to walk towards him. "This thing is weak to fire." He starts.

"As many beasts are."

"I have something that can probably kill it off. But I need you to distract it, and when I tell you, you need to lead that thing towards me and get out of the way as fast as possible." Shoto tells him.

Alfred looks him over and raises an eyebrow. "What exactly are you planning young Beast-hunter?"

"Do you really care?" Shoto asks, watching the beast stalk towards them.

"I do, but I'm willing to trust you. I hope you know what you're doing." Alfred tells him as he shoots the beast, gaining it's attention. He begins to run towards the other side of the chruch, ducking behind pillars and getting in a quick strike when he could.

Shoto watches the far more experienced hunter skillfully dodging and dashing around the beast like it was nothing. He shouldn't be surprised Alfred says he _started out_ as a Beast-hunter.

He suddenly snaps out of his observing state and takes a deep breath. He shuts his eyes and focuses, focuses on his left side, the powerful and unforgiving flames his father gave to him.

As he concentrates he feels his left side begin to heat up, tiny embers appearing. He grits his teeth, searching for the brutal fire he was finally able to accept. Trying to reach the power that nearly overwhelmed him the first time he used it, searching for the inferno he had no control over.

He can only describe it so much, it's like a well. It seems so deep, and so empty, but it's _there_. Deeper, deeper. Trying to reach the power that was cut off from him by cursed blood. BLindly reaching into the darkness for the wildfire he knows he can wield.

Alfred grunts as he's claws at, receiving a wound to his side. Not bad, the beast finally managed to hit him. As he shoots it and avoids a large wipe he looks to the teenager still standing at the altar. His eyes widening as he witnesses large flames coming from the left side of his body, bright raging flames. What he didn't notice was the blood dribbling down the young man's face.

"By the gods..." He murmurs.

He pushes forward, through the darkness. Deeper and depper until he feels like he's hit a wall. A barrier, the force that keeps him from utilizing the full potential of his flames. He can't turn back, not now. He slams his fist against the wall, pain. Again, more pain, hot burning, excruciating pain. He continues to beat against the barrier that keeps his power away from him. Feeling more, and more pain with each strike, his body feeling like it's roasting alive as he slowly begins to break though.

He yells in pain as he keeps trying to shatter the seemingly invincible barrier. He tries to reach through, to regain what he lost. He grits his teeth, pain and rage coursing through his body.

"This is my power! No one's else's! I control my fire, I decide where and when to use it! I'll be damned if I lock it up again!" He screams, driving his fist through.

The flames are blinding, and painful.

Both Alfred and the beast look up when they hear the almost inhuman roar of the hunter at the altar. A bright, blinding pillar of flame radiating from the boy.

"Alfred!" Shoto yells, seeing the man already spirnting towards him. He doen't miss the mixture of terror and amazement in the man's eyes. Right on his heels, the troublesome, blood-starved beast.

Alfred rushes past the flaming hunter, ducking behind the large altar.

Shoto shouts as he sends the raging, unforgiving inferno to the creature that leaps towards him. The blaze wrapping around the beast, burning through it's very being.

The two hunters listen to the piercing screams of the beast that burns alive, the desperate tortured cries of the monster that was once human. The horrifying sound echoing throughout the chapel.

Alfred watches the beast burn alive, it's once grotesque, pink flesh now only charred and blackened. The flames dance around the dark place of worship, bringing light to the forsaken place; soon snuffing out immediately. The great power cut off once again, leaving the air hot and thick. Almost hard to breathe in.

Alfred watches for any other sign of the great flames, before stepping out from behind the altar. His eyes fall on the still hunter as the burnt beast falls to the ground with a loud thump. Watching it fade away, ashes flying away as a chalice rolls to the feet of the hunter. The chalice Gehrman must have spoken of.

"Beast-hunter Shoto Todoroki! Well done, I must- Todoroki!" He yells, seeing the young man fall to the ground in what looks like a lifeless heap. He hurries over to the body and turns it over, seeig the bloodied face of the hunter. He sits the young man up as he begins to cough, looking concerned as he spits up copious amount of blood, coloring the already red stained floor even more.

"Well it seems your power came at the cost of your vitality." Alfred chuckles, handing Shoto the chalice and slowly helping him to his feet.

"I...guess so?" He seemed dazed. "Seeming kinda...f-fitting." He mumbles.

"Fitting?" Alfred asks, helping him to the lamp that has now appeared.

"I'd rather not talk about it Alfred." Shoto mutters, seeming a bit more aware now.

"I must ask though."

"Fucking..."

"Please, watch your language. I must how, how on earth did you aquire that great power? Was it the workings of the chruch?"

"No." Shoto answers, snapping his fingers and lighting the lamp. "It's something I was born with." He kneels down, putting a shaky hand in front of the lamp.

"Really? Interesting...well Beast-hunter Shoto Todoroki, it was an excellent hunt. May our paths cross again, and may the good blood guide your way." He says as he turns away, thenturns back around. "old on, I believe these belong to you."

Shoto looks up to see the man handing him his hunter marks.

"Ah, thanks." He mutters. "Goodbye Alfred."

He watches the man walking away, towards the exit of the chapel.

He looks to the lantern. Time to turn in blood echoes, and ask for a new bag.

 **-HotN-**

Shoto sighs as he arrives to the Dream, saying hello to the Doll and asking her for her strengthening abilities. Afterwards going to the Messenger's bath and buying a few blood vials from them.

"How willing do you think the Mesengers are to give me a new bag?" Shoto asks the Doll, seeing a few of the Messengers play a game.

"I'm sure they would be willing, if you just ask." She smiles, motioning to the small group of four Messengers.

He raises an eyebrow and walks over to the small group at the base of the stairs. He kneels down, catching their attention.

"You wouldn't happen to have another bag I can use do you?" He asks, seeing their heads snap to him when he asks. "I may or may not have lost mine to a beast of Old Yharnam." He adds, noting the exasperated expressions(?).

He watches the four disappear into the ground, biting his lip as he waits. As he sits there he can't help but feel like something is different, like he should be noticing something.

His mind begins to wander until the Messengers pop back up, a new leather bag in hand. It looked stronger than the last one, a bit more sturdier. He thanks the Messengers as he takes the bag, putting the chalice and the hunter marks in it.

He stands up and heads towards the gravestone, feeling he should check on the others. They might have finished by now.

"Hold on good hunter." The Doll says, stopping Shoto from fading away. He turns towards her, confused. "The Messengers have a second gift for you." She gestures to the same group of Messengers that gave him to bag. They wander over to him and reach up to hand him the gift.

With a raised eyebrow he takes it, looking it over in his hand. A chill runs up his spine as he realizes it's an eye, rotting flesh surrounds a yellow eye with a collapsed pupil that seems to stare at him.

"Thank you?" He says, feeling unsettled. He looks to the Messengers that seem happy at his acceptance of the gift. He then turns to the grave, resuming his previous action. He closes his eyes and fades away, towards his destination.

 **-HotN-**

Shoto sighs deeply as he appears in Oedon's Chapel, he looks around. Seeing an old woman sitting in a chair, dozing off, and in the same area as the Chapel Dweller was another woman in a red dress, sitting in a chair. She seemed content with a book she was currently reading. One fo the more interesting things of note was the sealed doors, they were now open.

He looks around again, not hearing the yells of a certain blonde, or the muttering of a nerd.

"Oi! Icyhot!"

There it is.

Shoto looks to the blonde, standing in the entrance of the chapel that led to Old Yharnam. He walks over.

"What is it Bakugo?" Shoto asks.

"The fuck you mean what is it! Look you idiot!" Katsuki yells, grabbing Shoto and dragging him out to the outside.

His eyes widen as he steps outside. What was once bathed in the warm, crimson and orange rays of the sun; was now covered in the pale light of the full moon.

"When did..."

"Where the hell is Deku! What the fuck did this!" He yells.

Now he actually kind of missed being alone.

"What do you mean? Why would you think someone did this?" Shoto asks. "Where is Midoriya anyway?" He looks around, trying to listen for the footsteps of anything.

"The way the moon appeared, wasn't fucking normal." Katsuki growls, telling Shoto about what transpired as he walked back to a lamp he activated.

This concerned Shoto, that _wasn't_ natural. And now that he was aware of that, something seemed _wrong_. Very, very wrong.

"Hold on..." He rushes inside, looking around.

Something was wrong.

Someone was missing.

 **-HotN-** **Woooooooooooow I FINALLY got this done! In retrospect maybe I should have split this up into two parts.** **I'm really sorry this took so long. These past two weeks have been really busy with testing and study camps. But it's finally out!** **So, I have to address a few things before I say my temporary goodbye. And by that I mean a few reviews!**

 **One of the first things I want to say, is a big thank you to Reviewer** _MASTER T-REX_

 **I was actually trying to think of the weapons they would probably have end game, and I was kinda of stuck on that for a while. And now I have a pretty good idea on their weapons, and I really wanted to put in the chalices in this and I hadn't really figured out how until now. In all honesty I kind of forgot about the beast claw and Queen Yharnam. So thank you so much**!

 **Responding to the guest reviewer,** _Heres a thought (Guest)_ **I have actually been considering doing another fanfiction for a while. And also I have started watching Bleach (I'm barely on the 3rd season) so when I heard of the idea of Izuku being a Full Bringer (I reeeeaaally need to catch up and look at the WIKI) I have to say it sounds interesting. I was considering a form of a MHA x Bleach crossover, but frankly this sounds much more interesting.**

 **As for the Avtar one, it has been forever since I'e seen Avatar: The Last Airbender. And believe it or not I actually haven't seen Legend of Korra.** **I have a list of crossovers I'm considering and I'll list them if you want in the next chapter.**

 **I think that's it for now, I'll probably respond to more in the next chapter which I will hopefully get out on time.**

 **(I probably won't)**

 **Welp, have a nice day/night everybody!!**


	10. Chapter 10: Hemwick Charnel Lane

**Hemwick Charnel Lane**

Katsuki and Izuku walks through the now quiet chapel, guilt weighing heaily upon them. A promise that they couldn't keep, but a new mission to move them forward.

They walk away from the small chapel, being met with the warm rays of the sun that seemed to be eternally setting.

They fight off any of the beasts that come their way, killing them off and collecting whatever loot that can be gained from their bodies. Whether it be blood vials or bullets. Silence between the two, the usually rapid fire swearing Katsuki was now unsure what to even say, unless it's a yell at Deku.

"Deku get the fuck out of the way!" He yells as he pushes the nerd out of the way to impale one of the black garbed men that tries to smack them with the large wooden crucifix. He ignores the yell of protest from the nerd and rushes forward, stepping to the side to avoid a thrust. He grins as he uses an explosion of propel himself forward and bring down the axe on the creature. It falls back, dropping the crucifix, only to be finished off.

Katsuki huffs as he kneels down, getting a blood vial for his troubles.

He looks behind him to see Izuku finally killing off the other black garbed creature, panting. He scoffs and walks up the stairs, looking at the Grand Cathedral.

He hears Izuku come up behind him, having caught his breath. He looks to where Katsuki's gaze is at and sees he's focusing on the cathedral. A shiver runs up his spine as he recalls that awful feeling of dread, that dark presence that had scared Izuku to his core.

Izuku sees Katsuki take a step towards the large doors and immediately reaches a hand out to stop him, grabbing his arm. Katsuki looks to his childhood 'friend' with a scowl.

"Don't." Izuku mutters. "Don't go in there Kacchan..." He shudders, staring at the doors.

Katsuki scowls and takes his arm back. "Whatever Deku." He mutters, turning towards the direction he chose prior to their little excursion for the little girl.

The little girl...Victoria...

He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, a feeling he most definitely did not like when he heard any mention of her. It was stupid, really it was, for them to make that promise. Then another to get her to safety...at what cost though?

He felt angry, angry he couldn't move fast enough, that he was too focused on the firearm pointed at the little girl. Angry that it hadn't been him to push through the shock and fear to rush forward. Angry that they had to be saved by that damn old crow.

He shoots a look to Deku as the nerd writes, not noticing the heated glare. He was so used to it.

Never, never would he expect such savagery, such brutal anger from someone as small and cowardly as him. It was there only for a moment, before that small flame of anger and rage had been snuffed out so suddenly. By what he had no clue, and honestly he didn't really care. He never even considered the possibility for Deku to feel rage.

His mind flashed back to the incident, a little fuzzy in a few parts. Not too clear, yet there was some kind of striking clarity in it.

The event begins to play in his mind. From where they were frozen in place, scared for the litle girl, scared to move, too shocked to process anything fast enough before the trigger was pulled and blood was split. Whose? He hadn't been too sure, everything was a blur until he sent the man flying against the stone monument. It had nearly toppled over from the force of the impact...nearly. The stupd old man had gotten up again, trying to climb the stairs to catch up to a green blur.

That's where he saw it, running after the man in yellow. The green blur whirled around, teeth bared and eyes full of anger. He had been bleeding profusely, and that didn't stop him from grabbing the man's coat and slamming him into the wall, a sickening crack upon impact and a scream of pain. As quickly as he had injured the man, a look of guilt appeared on his face; turning tail and dashing through the gates.

As Henryk had gotten up to run after the little pest he was struck with a cleaver, and turned his attention to the assailant.

The next thing they knew, a black crow swept in and finished off the man, freeing him from his madness. Soon afterwards speaking with the two boys and telling them they shouldn't have ventured to the tomb. Which was answered with a yell from Katsuki, after that she told them they should leave and venture forth. They had no business in the darkened and bloodied graveyard anymore.

The two made their way to the chapel, stepping inside.

Sobs and wails of fear and sadness echoed throughout the stone walls, shaking him to his core. The way the sobs wracked her body, her tear filled eyes as she pleaded, begged to know if her grandfather was speaking the truth.

 _'You want to find them so badly! Join them in the afterlife!'_

The words carried a heavy echo in his mind.

A promise they would never be able to keep, but they made it anyways.

That stupid guilt clawing away at his heart, he had been the one after all...

He's the one that gave the killing blow, who pointed the gun and fired. He hadn't felt anything then, nothing but a sense of triumph and accomplishment. Having completely pushed it from his mind that that man was a father...he had a family

And now...

"Stupid kid..." He mutters, turning is head to look the other way as he felt something hot prick his eyes. Was he crying? What the fuck?!

"You alright Kacchan?" Izuku asks, putting the small notebook away. "You uh, still thinking about what happened?" He asks, taking a small step closer.

"Shut up Deku!" He yells, turning around and walking away. Unable to hide the action of him wiping at his eyes as he walked away.

Ah...so that was a yes.

Katsuki growls as he feels the worried gaze of Deku on his back. He turns around. "Don't you have somewhere to be Deku!" He yells, earning a yelp of surprise and apology as the nerd runs off to the other side of the cathedral.

Katsuki huffs as he walks forward, around the stairs and past stone statues that were carved out to depict the misery the sculptors felt. A few holding candles, others empty handed bet kept their palms skyward. Others bury their faces into their hands and only weep for their misery.

He hardly pays any attention to the statues, crushing a few pieces of weathered stone under his boots as he walks. He follows the stone railing, his footsteps now the only noise he can take in. The bell isn't ringing, the wind doesn't woosh past him, silence.

It doesn't bother him too much, he was finally alone. Now he did't have to deal with the annoying Deku, or the equally annoying if not more Icyhot. Stupid Cold-Hotpocket...

Ever since that day of the Sports Festival, he felt pure resentment towards the Half-n-Half bastard. He had demanded that he use his full power against him, his fire and ice versus his explosions. Quite frankly he had expected the battle to go on for longer, no last only a few measly minutes.

An angry scowl makes it's way to his face as he plays it back. That bastard had barely used his flames in their battle...but he used them at full power against _Deku_? Why not _him_? Why not _K_ _atsuki!_ What, was he not good enough for the damn flames?!

A growls rises from his throat as he grits his teeth, stomping down the path until he comes across a small set of stairs. He snaps out of his angery thoughts and looks at his feet, seeing a dead body holding two containers in it's arms. Raising an eyebrow and kneels down and grab the items before standing up again.

He looks to the small containers and cringes in disgustwhen he sees two blood-shot eyeballs staring at him as they float around in murky yellow liquid. He scowls and shoves the items in his bag, feeling they may come in handy later. For what? Who knows.

He makes his way down the small set of stairs to a small area where weeds and withered grass grew freely. Ivy creeps and clings onto large, natural walls made of boulders. He takes a deep breath as he walks forward, taking in the smell of something new, not the damp cobblestones or the musty air of the dying city. No, it smelled...kind of fresh, like the woods, with a small bit of smoke.

He walks forward and sees a few stay pieces of yellow paper, he picks them up, seeing as they had looked familiar. They were very familiar actually, four more hunter marks, just like the ones Eileen gave him. He looks them over, same yellow paper, same strange symbol drawn in ink. He shoves them into his bag and heads down a path almost hidden by the overgrown ivy and weeds. The small dirt road seemed to head no where, until he saw soemthing like a cave.

Small boulders over the small entrance are only held up by thick ivy and a few branches of some kind of plant. The darkened cave beckons, a small lantern somewhere in there. Giving off a warm light that offers a moment of safety.

Katsuki had looked the cave up and down before taking a look around. He found nothing wrong, nothing following him. So why did going down this way seem like such a bad idea?

He huffs and readies his weapons as he walks towards the dark tunnel, slightly startled with the sudden quiet that settled over him. The noise he didn't even know was there was suddenly gone. Vanished, just the unsettling quiet that brought a feeling of dread and fear.

He pushed that feeling down and kept walking forward, reahing the small orange glow of the lantern that offered a strange comfort he didn't even know was needed. He sniffs the air as the smell of a fortest reaches his nose, along with the smell of smoke, and a faint smell of gunpowder. He stops, when did he sense of smell become so good? When the hell did that happen?

He thinks it over for a moment before shaking his head. Why worry about it if it gives him an advantage? He suddenly stops in his track as he reaches the end of the tunnel.

He's met with a small forest, covered in graves that are clustered together. A few of them have faint inscriptions on them, and others are so old and worn the words are forever gone, lost to time. The trees are impossibly high, thick trunks that offer cover to anyone who has the need to take cover The brnches are dry and bare, yet the limbs tangle together to hide the sky from his view. In the distace, to the far right theres a bonfire with at least four gunmen surrounding it, staring blankly into the flames.

He sees few glows surounding the flames, each one either next to the fire, gunman, or a gravestone.

Something like the instinct of an implusive child comes to his mind as the simple thought runs through his mind.

 _'I want it._

As the simpe train of thought goes through his head and residual 'what the fuck' follows after; a dog, covered in spikes begins to bark, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Katsuki looks up to see the seemingly impaled dog snarling and barking at him, running after him. It jumps up to bury it's teeth into his arm until it receives a bullet to the face and whines as it falls over. Unable to take a moment to recover it was suddenly impaled by an axe.

"Loud ass dog, fuck." He mutters as he looks around, not seeing any of the gunman he can see turn their attention towards him. He looks around, as he moves forward. turning his head to see a another gunman off to the left, almost hidden by a tree. He squints to try and see if there was anything behind him, thinking he saw some kind of movement.

He moves forward, walking past graves and stepping over dried up grass and leaves that crunch under his footsteps. He creeps forward as he gets a better view on the man, he tightens his grip on his axe and rushes forward. Catching the man by surpise he brings his axe down on the man's soulder, hearing a cry of pain then shooting the man to silence him.

He swears as he hears the barking of two more dogs, he turns and one of them jumps into him and bites down on his right arm. Fighting with him as the other one comes to attack. He yells as he manages to grab his gun and shoots the incoming mutt, knocking it back a bit. He then turns the pistol to the other dog and fires, the clamped down teeth tearing at his flesh as it went flying. He jumps to his feet and dodges another jump at him from the dog that was shot first.

He scowls, it recovered faster than it should have, dammit. He shoots it again and kills off the other one. Before turning to the other one and bringing his axe down on it's side. He huffs as he pulls his axe from the dog's corpse. He turns to the body of the man he killed a moment ago and grabs the bullets from the gun.

He looks around, only seeing more gunmen by the bonfire, a little blurry in the distance. He frowns and looks around for a way to get there, seeing as grave pretty much covered a majority of the forest. He could always climb over them, but they looked brittle and and old. They'd probably turn to dust under his weight. He walks forward as he spots a pathway heading downwards down a small hill. And across from the start of the downhill path there was a clear path to the bonfire surrounded by gunmen.

He starts to head towards the large path in the middle, walking quickly and extending his axe. They still had their backs turned to him, and that would be a desicion they'd soon regret.

As a feral grin appears on his face as hes about to break out at a run, until mutliple gunshots go off and bullets bury themselves into Katsuki's body. Makking him yel in pain and almost fall back, blood seeping from the small bullet holes that cover his torso. His eyes dart around as he heals himself, looking for the assailants. His ears find the enemies before his eyes do, hearing more gunshots ringing out and jumping back to avoid the fury of the bullets.

He looks to the soruce of the sound and sees gunmen hiding behind the graves, almost unnoticed. There are two nearby, and another three hiding behind more trees and graves but still somewhat visible. He watches them reload, about to run at them until they put their firearms up. A few slower than the others, he growls as he dashes behind a large tree. He hears a yell and the guns go off, burying themselves uselessly into the thick trunk of the tree.

After the shots have been fired he rushes around the tree and yells as he raises the axe above his head, bringing it around in a wide arc. The two men fell over, and struggle to get to theri feet. Katsuki oesn't give them the chance and shoots one and brings the axe down on the other.

Two down, three to go.

He stops suddenly when he hears a click. He whirls around only to receive a three bullets. He screams in pain as one of the bullets imbeds itself into his eye, painfully blinding him.

"You fuckers!" He yells, stepping forward and spinning the axe, catching two of the men as the other one steps out of the way. He growls as he changes the axe into it's smaller form and pulls out his pistol. He shot the fleeing man and finished the other two, feeling their hot blood splatter onto his face and clothes. He hears another click and jumps out of the way of a bullet that grazes his cheek. With an even angrier yell he rushes forward and beheads the man.

He pants as the body falls to the ground, waiting a moment before grabbing a blood vial. The pain in his eye is unbearable, hot liquid running down his face from his injured eye. He groans as he stabs himself in the leg, upset at the new addition to the pain; even if it was just a little. He grits his teeth as he feels the bullet slowly dissolve and the injured eye repair itself. Unlike his other injuried it irritatingly painful.

He holds his head as a headache starts up, pain shooting throughout his head. He grunts to himself as he tries to ignore the pain, walking forward and readying himself to face the final gunmen at the bonfire.

"Whatever's over there better be fucking worth it." He mutters to himself, extending his axe again and breaking into a run. He yells loudly as he readies his axe, he runs up to them; firmly planting his foot and spins around twice. Those who had suddenly became aware of the yelling and the running hunter hardly got any time to react as a large axe cut into them. One of them falls into the fire and suffers from the flames and the the others either crash into the graves and break them apart; or are cut in half and fall to the ground in lifeless heaps.

Katsuki pants and grumbles to himself as he gathers his rewards from the beastly men. He gets a few more bullets, another blood vial, and some kind of serrated knife. He then gets to gathering the other items scattered about that he had seen initialy. He picks them up and gather a total of ten.

He looks over one of the items. They're all wrapped up in a thin brown paper tied with a small yet sturdy string. He unties the string on one and unwraps the paper, reavealing a small bottle that has small ornate carvings. There's a small lid on the top that flips up.

He looks to the small bottle and the paper, realzing what the paper is for, he flip the lid opn and pours the contents onto the brown paper. A course white powder slowly pours onto the paper, surprisingly a large amount of the substance in the bottle.

"What the fuck?" He asks aloud, looking over the white powder. He looks down when he hears the moans of the Messengers as they appear with a rolled up paper.

Katsuki scoffs and carefully pours the powder back into the bottle. Wrapping it back up and tying it again, then stuffing it into his bag. He kneels down.

"What do you want?" He scowls, watching the fearfully unroll the message. They flinch at the growl as the young man begins to read.

 _That substance is called, Bone Marrow Ash._

 _An additional medium that strengthens Quicksilver Bullets._

 _According to the workshop, this is a special bone marrow ash collected from Hemwick Charnel Lane._

 _Invaluable to hunters with weak bloodtinge who require the use of stronger firearms._

"The fuck is bloodtinge?" Katsuki looks at them, scowling when he sees one of them roll their nonexistant eyes.

"Don't give me sass you piece of shit just tell me!" He yells. He sees them retreat back into the ground. "Hey! Get the fuck back here!" He pounds on the ground where the Messenger were previously. After a minute or two of this he yells and gets to his feet, walking away. "Fine! Fuck you!"

A few Messengers peek out of the ground and watch the young hunter walk away, one of them seeming to take delight in irritating him.

Katsuki huffs as he heads down the downhill path, keeping his eyes forward as he walks. He sees two dogs and yet another gunman walking back and forth in front of a large set of closed doors. Something told him that that's where he's supposed to go. He readies his axe and walks forward, waitning for the moment where the enemies would have their backs turned towards him.

He swears as one of the dogs take notice of him, barking wildly and running towards him while the other follows close behind. The gunman gets to work, loading his gun. Katsuki brings the axe around in an arc, sending the spiked dogs flying and injured. Then quickly ducking low to the ground as a bullet whizzes by his head. He dashes forward, still low to the ground and thrusts the axe forward; impaling one of the dogs then shooting the other.

As he stands up straight to face te gunman, a bullet plants itself into his right hand, making him grunt in pain and drop the axe. A feral grin makes it's way onto his face as the dashes forward, shooting the man at one of the hands and making him drop his respective weapon. He yells as he grabs the man by his collar and plants a hand on his face. Slightly shivering at the dry flesh that seems to crumble at his fingretips. Quickly forgotten as he sets off an explosion that kills the man instantly.

He lets the body fall to the ground before grabbing the axe, looking over the man and seeing he had nothing left in his pockets. He sighs as he looks to the bloodied mess he left that now covers his ripped up gloves. Dammit, so much for those.

He looks at his hand, hot blood and sweat mixed into his palm. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something so _satisfying_ when using his quirk on them. It was strange, yet settling.

After Katsuki finished gathering his things, he walk over to the large wooden doors that stand between him and whatever lays on the other side. He dons his usual scowl of irritation and intolerance and walks over to the doors, placing his hands on them. He grunts as he pushes open the doors, the loud creaking of the old doors fills his ears, ending an involuntary shudder through him. The sound of the old wood creaking, the large rusted hinges squeaking in protest, ignored as he opens the doors. They reluctantly give way under his weight, finally parting and allowing him access to the new area set out before him.

The smell of smoke is stronger, there's a faint stench of rot and decay that reaches his nose; a cringe of disgust. He ignores it and walks forward, being met with the sight of large gravestones stacked upon each other, lining the edges of the path. Up ahead, a lamp. A light in the darkness, solace against all the danger he's faced thus far.

He huffs as he walks forward, going over to the unlit lamp. As he reaches the symbol of safe haven he hear loud cackling and crying. The wails of grown women from what seemed to be down below. He lights the lamp and readies his axe, he looks around until he sees a path leading downwards. Stairs imbedded into the ground, it almost seemed natural.

He heads down the path, the dry grass and rotting leaves crunch under his feet. Yet the noise doesn't seem to disturb whatever the hell is ahead. He makes it to the bottom of the stairs and riases an eyebrow with waht he sees.

"What the fuck?"

There are women all over the place. At least three and holding their arms up to the sky and spinning around at a slow pace. One of them cackling widly, the other two weeping loudly. Near where Katsuki is, a few feet ahead, a woman sits on her knees, her face buried into her hands. She sits at the base of a twisted, nonsensical statue.

He looks around, seriously, what the hell was going on? Dancing around a mass grave, where headstones are stacked upon each other and the bodies are probably stacked upon each other underneath as well.

As soon as he took a step forward two women turned their attention towards him, one of them was one of the the spinning ones. The other was the weeping woman on her knees. As soon as he had approached they began rushing at him, one weilding a small meat cleaver and the other coming at him swinging a small scythe.

"Of fucking course." He mutters, letting them get closer and closer until he readies himself to swing his axe. "Everybody here is fucking crazy." He swings the axe, slamming them into the rocky ground and making them screech in pain. He hears their bones crack and crumble under the force of the axe. Whatever echoes they held in their veins are now his.

Unfortunately their cries were heard by their companions who abandoned whatever pleasure they gained from spinning around, to come after Katsuki who now stood above two corpses of their friends. They scream as theyrun at him, one of the wearing some kind of red garb over their dark blue dress. The other wears a simple green dress with a dirtied white apron staned with blood and dirt.

Katsuki yells as he rushes forward towards the women that run towards him, sheathing his firearm and reaching out his left hand. As soon as one of them comes close, he focuses on putting his energy, forcing his body to try to produce an explosion that'll blow them away and finish them off quickly. Much to his frustration only smoke appears from his palm, which was cut into with a quick swipe of a meat cleaver.

"Agh! You bitch!" He yells as he swings the axe, cutting into the woman's chest and staining the red garb a deeper crimson. He jumps back as the woman with the small scythe swings it wildly in anger and desperation. Unable to take much damage she staggered back with a bullet to the face; finished off with two swipe fro the axe, same with the bleeding red garbed woman.

He lets out an exasperated sigh and looks over the damage. None of them dropped anything, no items, only Blood Echoes. As he's about to take in his surrounding he's suddenly impaled by a red hot, burning toll. He hears a wild cackle as he screams in pain, which quickly turned to anger as he reached for his gun. Aiming it pressing the trigger, the assailant screams in pain and falls back, taking the stupid gardening tool with her. But leaving Katsuki in a world of pain.

He stumbles over and heaves up a mouthful of blood as it rushes up his lungs, as crimson stains his clothes. He stabs himself in the leg twice and whirls around as the woman has the makeshift weapon raised over her head to bring it down on his. He quickyt brings up the pistol and shoots her in the chest, staggering her and giving him the opening to embed the axe into her chest. She wails in pain and falls to the ground, her weapon clattering to the ground and immediately losing it's heat.

"Dammit..." Katsuki mutters as he walks over, grabbing two blood vials from her body. After looking around and listening closely he hears nothing, just a few distant whispers that speak of nothing but nonsense...but where are the whispers coming from? His eyes dart around, looking for any more of those women. Nothing, there's nobody near him at all. He sighs as he turns his attention to the large stack of graves, trying to push the whispers to the back his mind.

He walks over to the large stack in the center, looking at the graves. They were crumbling to pieces as well, but the names were still there. He squints as leans close, they were awfully faded. He skims over the names, not paying to the dates or last name.

' _Sarah, William, Hannah..._ '

He reads through them, finding a lot of the inscriptions were names of women. He's not sure why but he keps reading, as if he's lookong for something. He reads through a few more names until his eyes land on one grave.

 _Victoria_

He does a doubletake and his eyes dart back to the grave, a sharp cold sensation running up his spine.

 _Veronica_

He looks at the name, for a moment he swear it was...

Katsuki shakes his head. "Stupid kid..."

He huffs and steps away from the graves, something crunching under his foot as he steps back. He looks down, seeing two blood shards fused together. He raises an eyebrow and picks up the item, looking it over until he shoves them into his bag. He turns around to move forward, only to come face to face with an aged man.

"What the fuck!" He stumbles back, his back pressed against the graves as he reaches for his gun. Before he can grab it the man rushes forward and grabs his shoulders, not making any move to hurt him. Didn't make it any less disturbing and startling.

"Dude get the fuck off of me!" He yells, trying to shake out of her strong grip, feeling a cold sensation of fear crawl up his spine as the man stares desperately into his blood red eyes. His haunted, cloudy white eyes somehow still grant him vision, his eyes are sunken in. His thin and withered face are twisted into a nervous, yet desperate smile.

"I said get the fuck-"

"The graveyard whispers!" He whispers in a hushed voice. His body and voice trembling. "Can you hear them yet? T-The graveyard whispers, they...they never leave you. They're still here, the whispers...can you hear them?" He giggles softly. "I-I can't wait, they're coming...i-it'll happen soon..." He keeps giggling, soon letting Katsuki go and hugging himself.

"What the fuck?" He mutters, stepping away. He looks her over, not seeing any weapons. His clothes aren't exactly similar to the male citizens that are inhabitants of the cursed city. They're slightly similar to his if anything, they've seen better days.

He waits for a moment before walking away, heading towards a set of stairs that lead upwards to whatever the hell is next. As he's about to take the first step the strange man grabs his wrist, pulling him back. He turns him towards him, his cloudy eyes twitching.

"Do you see them? Can you hear them? C-Can you see them? They keep whispering? Telling me things...do they tell you things t..." He stops, a sick smile creeping onto his face. "Eyes, they search for the eyes...can't you hear them they want the eyes!" He yells, pushing him away and letting him go. He begins to pace around rapidly, whispering madly to himself about eyes, whispers, and something about the moon. And about how it's almost time.

"Crazy bastard..." He mutters as he walks away, looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't following him. As soon as he looked over he was gone. He had disappeared into thin air.

Yet he could still hear the mad whisperings.

Slightly unsettled and mildly disturbed Katsuki turns his gaze forward. Up the stairs.

What the hell just happened?

A few thoughts rattled off in his head as he climbed the small set of stairs. He reached the top and the thoughts were quickly silenced; pushed off to the side. Another woman with a hot, oversized poker accompanied by a dog covered in the spikes. He walks forward and gets his weapons ready. His mind momentarily distracted from the previous event.

The dog takes immediate notice of him and begins barking, prompting the woman to looks up and see him.

"You!" She screams, pointing and him and sending the dog bounding after him.

Katsuki grins and rushes after them, as he runs he points the gun. Before he can press the trigger, a glass bottle hit him, shattering upon impact and surrounding him in flames. He staggers for a moment, and the moment he regains his footing he's tackles to the ground by the spiked mutt. He yells as it claws at his chest and bites into his shoulder.

Katsuki wrestles with the dog for a moment before seeing another bottle of fire flying towards him. He growls as he shoots the dog in the stomach, making it yelp in pain; then kicks it off towards where the bottle comes flying at him. It hits the dog instead, burning the animal and leaving it dead.

As Katsuki gets up the woman thrusts the weapon at him, he jumps back and quickly heals himself. Rushing forward as his muscles stitch together and ache in mild protest before fully recovered. The woman is about to try to strike him again until he fires the pistol. Momentarily stunning her and giving him the opportunity to rush at her, hearing the shattering of glass where he was a moment ago.

He raises the axe above his head and brings it down hard on her shoulder. She screams and blood sprays, some of it splattering onto his face. He pulls the axe out and she falls to the ground. He steps over her and jumps out of the way as another firey bottle flies towards him. It shatters against the dry, barren tree and sets the withered plant ablaze.

He looks to where the bottle had been coming from and sees a woman dressed in the red shawl, she chucks another molotav at him with a yell. He steps out of the way and heads up the stairs, damn she was annoying.

As he runs up the stairs, he sees another woman up the stairs. She turns towards him, a large wodden mallet in her hands. She screams as she runs at him, swinging the mallet and missing him. Easily ended with an axe to the head and a tumble down the stairs. He runs to the top of the stairs.

To the right is the woman dressed in red who throws the molotavs and to the left is another path, and of course another set of stairs.

As he took the moment to take a look around the woman threw another bottle, cackling as the bottle shattered.

"Bitch!" He yells, ducking down as she chucked another one; then comes at him. Swinging the cleaver. She had comes faster than he thought, bringing the weapon of choice down onto his shoulder. Cutting in deep before she shot shot, backing away and hissing at him. She grabs another bottle, how many does this lady have? As she's about to throw it Katsuki quickly closes the short distance between then and finishes her off.

He pants as he watches the body fall, grabbing two bottles that roll out of her bag. He grumbles to himself as he looks around, not seeing any more enemies. But knowing there'll be more over past that next set of stairs.

More graves surround him, a few more names etched into them. A lot of them are faded though, hard to make out. A few of them have quotes etched beneath the names. Half tempted to read them, he instead turns away with a roll of his eyes. He heads towards the stairs, keeping an eye above. If there was one of those crazy ladies throwing molotavs, there was sure to be another.

He gets to the top of the stairs and sees a large ogre, a black tattered cape draped over his shoulders. He carries a brick in his hands, and made immediate plans to use it as he spots Katsuki. He says something in a low, incomprehensible moan and starts to head towards the boy.

Katsuki was about to rush forward until he heard the quiet cackle of a woman trying to muffle her amusement. He looks above once more and there she is, a bit hard to see, but she's there. He catches a glimpse of the red shawl fluttering in the light breeze. Katsuki takes a step back, deal with the ogre then deal with the lady. She shouldn't be able to reach him from where she is.

He sees the ogre seeming to come at him with a light jog, can't seem to move fast on his feet. The only time the beasts like him can move fast is when they're swinging bricks or broken pillars. It begins to just stomp over menacingly. He lets out a low moan and glares at Katsuki. He takes a step back then runs at the young man, the brick above his head.

Okay, faster than he thought.

Katsuki takes a step back then raises the gun, the ogre already upon him. As it brought the brick down it fell to it's knees, a bullet buried into his chest. Katsuki hears that familiar noise and rushes forward, grunting as he thrusted his hand into the beast's abdomen. As he was about to pull out his innards, there's a loud yell and he looks up to the source; only to be pleted with a glass bottle of fire, yelling in pain as he's burnt by the flames.

He looks up angrily and sees the woman cackling madly at her success. She smiles madly down at him, drawing his ever growing ire.

Out of anger Katsuki yells and sets off his quirk as he pulls out the innards of the ogre, hearing the scream of pain and ignoring it. Flesh and blood go flying, much of it splattering onto Katsuki; who frankly couldn't give s hit at the moment. She throws another one and instead of hitting him he catches it. He dashes down the path and rounds and corner, hearing the woman yelling incomprehensibe things at him. She growls as she trying to swing the small cleaver at him.

He grits his teeth and catches her arm, his tight grip makes the woman yell in frustration. He grits his teeth as he drops the molotav and puts his hand to her face. Just one more, one more. He grits his teeth as he strains himself. Trying to summon the power he had just previously used, he yells as he's granted one more explosion. Hearing the woman scream in pain seemed rather cruel, but somehow seemed satisfying.

He lets the body fall and grabs another molotav from the woman. He scowls as he walks to the gates that he passed as he ran to attack the woman. He jogs over to the closed gate and looks around.

"The hell are they-" Katsuki stops, seeing two of the large brutes patrolling around. There were even more of those dogs walking around the far end of the area, picking at something on the ground then walking away. The smell of rot is even stronger from where he stands, the disgusting stench emanating from somewhere nearby.

What made him stop midsentence was who he saw on the other side of the gate. It was the man from before, covered in blood and wounds.

He wasn't sure what made him, but Katsuki couldn't help but meet the man's gaze. Meeting the scarred cloudy eyes that look on at him sadly, unlike last time Katsuki saw him; the man's face was now covered in blood. More specifically near his eyes, it looks like someone had cut deeply into them in an attempt to dig them out. They failed, but succeeded in taking his vision away. The man turns away, and before Katsuki can say anything the man disappears with one step.

How the hell did he get over there? If he had been where the graves were a second ago...and the gate was closed.

Katsuki narrows his eyes, someone was fucking with him. Someone _had_ to be fucking with him, what the hell else could it be? He turns around and scans the area before him, the gate to his back. There was no one there, just the sight of graves lining ever corner, a cloudy sky that seemed darker than the last time he looked up to it. There wasn't anybody around, no one there to play any tricks on him.

"I'm losing it..." He mutters, turning back to the gate and looking around again. Looking for any kind of opening mechanism, lo and behold there it is. A large lever next to the gate, too bad he can't reach it. The thought crosses his mind, and he looks at the gate. It was made of rusty metal, looks like it could be broken with a few swings of his axe. Was he willing to try it? Of course. Would it work? Hopefully.

Katsuki grabs his axe and looks at the gate, looking for a good place to strike. He just needs an opening large enough for him to get through. He sees a part of the gate that looks brittle enough, good.

He plants his feet firmly on the ground, gripping the axe tightly. He readies himself and raises the axe. Yelling as he brings it down on the gate, grunting as the axe doesn't come into contact with the gate but instead some kind of force. Upon contact, where he would have hit the gate there was a blue, wispy aura that seemed to shield the gate. He scowls, remembering when he tried to blow up the gate in the Cathedral Ward.

Katsuki knows what happened, but this time it was a not so invivible force, and it didn't seem to blast him away like the last one did. He grits his teeth as he uses more force, trying to break through. After a moment there was crackle of power, making him raise an eyebrow. The blue force field crackles and suddenly the axe begins to crack, the sound of metal breaking, creating a loud clanging noise that rings out painfully in his ears.

He grunts and steps back, ripping his axe away, hearing another loud clang and feeling an angry sudden heat consume his axe. He suddenly drops his axe, the weapon burning his hands.

"Agh! What the fuck?" He looks to the red hot weapon on the ground, he looks to his hands. Still sizzling painfully from the damn axe and whatever fucking magic or shit that just made that happen. Ugly blisters cover his plams, the smell of his burnt flesh sends a wave of both anger and a fear of some kind rushing through him. He pants and grits his teeth as he reaches for a blood vial, finding it painful to flex his hands at all.

He grunts as he grabs the healing substance, stabbing himself in the leg and feeling a hot sensation spread throughout his body. He looks to his hands, watching the burns and blisters fade from view and revert back to pale, unburnt hands. He huffs as he grabs the axe, no longer hot but seeing a nasty crack through the blade.

 _'Damn, how long is this thing going to last?'_

He looks it over for a moment, deeming it study enough to get him through the area. He could fix it up when he got back to the Dream, he didn't feel like going back and having all those crazy people reappear.

He sighs as he looks around, there has to be a way to get around. There always is. He walks up the hill where he killed the woman, looking around to see if there was any path he could take. And indeed there was, there was a long, narrow path heading downwards. The only way to go, so it has to be the right way. He takes a step forward, heading downwards. More graves surround him on either side, more names that mean nothing to him.

He keeps heading downwards, the steps crumbling lightly under his feet, old weathered stones embedded into the ground. Of course they wouldn't last. He keeps going until he hears the ragged reathing of someone hiding around the corner. They peer around the corner, holding a rusted scythe in their hands, messy ashy gray hair covers their face.

Katsuki keeps walking, knowing the woman is going to try to ambush him. Can't work if he sees her coming, so as soon as he passes the crevice she hides in he whil aroun and cuts into her. She seemed to already be injured so she had gone down rather easily. He passes her, walking ahead through the still narrow pathway until he reaches a less claustrophobic area.

There was a cliff, only brittle tombstones keep one from falling to their death. There are a large cluster of graves off to the right, a nest of crows. They squawk to each other softly and tilt their heads to look at the intruder. There's at least one crow who doesn't care, staring blankly ahead with it's yellow beady eyes.

Katsuki huffs as he walks ahead, towards the crow's nest. Up ahead he sees something that looks like an elevator, where the hell would an elevator go in this place?

As he thinks that over, he hadn't quite realized how close the crows really were. He hadn't been looking where he was walking, more interested in the elevator than the crows that inched closer and closer. He ended up stepping on the wing of one of the crows, making it cry out loudly; startling it's little friends. They all look up in a rage and flap their wings violentlym trying to peck out the boy's eyes.

"Agh! Get the hell off of me!" He held out both of his hands and let off a small explosion, not as big as he had wanted it to be. It still blew a few of them away, killing two and injuring the three left. One of the three sqauwked loudly and looked up at the young hunter, still unagressive. Katsuki pulls out the pistol and shoots one of the ones that came to attack him, then bringing the axe down on the other one.

A bit of blood splatters onto the calm crow, making it blink in surprise and look up at the assaulter. It caws softly, only to be killed off, an axe through it's head.

Katsuki frowns as he looks through what the crows dropped in death, pebbles. Pebbles that look like stone eyes, staring blankly into the distance. No wonder the damn crows aimed for his eyes, they seemed to take a liking to eyes, the freaks. He huffs as he drops the hardened eyes, stepping over the crow corpses and towards the elevator that sits there, waiting for him. He sees more graves lining the area. These ones seem more weathered, more faded.

He decides to pay no attention to them, walking up to the elevator. He looks at it, the platform is made of wood, but the railings that keep people from falling to whatever death they'd face, are rusted metal. Some of it covered in what looks like moss. He looks up, no way there was any way it could go upwards, seeing at the mechanism for pulling the elevator up and down were just above. So, downwards.

He raises an eyebrow and steps onto the elevator, hearing the pressure plate click under his weight. He looks around as the elevator begins to descend. The eleator heads downwards into a pit, the walls are rather cramped; the elevator seems to barely fit. He sighs as he hears the edge of the railing grind against the stone wall. The sound grinds against his nerves, but he pushes it down. He looks towards where more light is seen, turning around and feeling the elevator stop. He looks around where he stopped, seeing a glow up ahead on a dead body slumped again the rock wall.

There was an old withered shack with boarded up windows, a small light can be seen inside the cracks of the boards. He didn't really care to see who or what was inside, he walks over to the body and picks up the source of the glow. A glowing skull with a large crack in the head, strange light flowing from the skull.

Katsuki looks at it, slightly creeped out. He huffs and throws the skull to the gound, crushing it under his foot as he walks forward. It was farily easy to break, what he hadn't been expecting however was the quick and haunting whispers of strange voices. They tell him a few things, hard to hear and understand, and leave as quickly as they had come.

He looks around, looking for the source of the whispers. Only to have his eyes fall on the shattered skull under his foot.

What the hell?

He looks at the skull then back to the path up ahead, a small set of old, wooden, rickety stairs that looked like they could barely hold his weight. He walks down them anyway, ignoring the loud creaking protests of the stairs. He raises an eyebrow and sees the area he started out at. The tower of graves stacked upon each other, the bodies of the women he killed, the overgrown weeds and dry grass. The smell of decay is stronger here for some reason, he looks to the side and stumbles back, his back to the rock wall.

Bodies, rotting and wrapped up in thick cloth were hanging from the bottom of the house. Blood and a few other questionable substances stain the thick cloth, he decides to avert his attention. How the hell had he not noticed them when he passed through this area? How?

He mentally questioned himself as he took a quick look around. Not seeing any kind of changes that were notable...other than the bodies. He starts to head up the stairs again, to the elevator. He has no hesitation as he gets onto the elevator and rides it back to the top. The grinding noise still annoying him, he ignores it to the best of his ability and waits until he makes it to the top. Stepping off as soon as the ride is over, now where to?

He doesn't really have to wonder for long, since all he to do is follow the unspoken rule in the damn place.

Follow the graves, which lead to a narrow pathway that leads to yet another cluster of graves; but more importatnly had a creaking wooden bridge that connects two cliffs to each other. He huffs and heads past the narrow pathway, only to see yet another one of the crazy women. She's growling and scratching at one of the graves, as if trying to cross out one of the names. He raises an eyebrow, her back turned to him.

Seems even in death she's still pissed at whomever that may be for whatever the fuck they did.

What did they they do to piss her off, die?

He couldn't help but snort at that thought, finding funny. Unfortunately she heard him, and turns around to face him; slowly getting to her feet. Unfortunately for her, Katsuki was already on his feet and didn't give her the chance to grab her weapon before burying the axe in her chest.

She falls, falling on top of the brittle grave she had been defacing a moment before. He scoffs and looks towards the wooden bridge, seeing it sway so dangerously in the occasional gust of wind. Oh yes, this was the most sound decision that could possibly be made. He walks over to the bridge and puts one foot on it, putting a bit of weight on it. The bridge creaks a bit but otherwise doesn'y seem to give in any way. Good.

He steps onto the bridge, waiting a moment before walking forward. As he walks forward another one of the hunchbacked ogre men come patrolling. Groaning and grumbling to himself until he sees Katsuki. He lets out a low growl and and starts to stomp over to the young man.

Katsuki rolls his eyes, and readies his pistol he suddenly remembers the dust he had gotten a while ago. He backs up a bit and grabs one of the paper wrapped bottles, ripping off the paper and pouring a majority of the contents onto his gun.

"This better fucking work..." He mutters to himself, stuffing the rest in his bag. Some of the ashes remained on his hand. He lets the ogre come to him, watching him raise his hands above his head and bring his arms down quickly. Trying to bash in his skull with the stone brick.

Before the weapon even has the chance to graze a single hair on his head, he fires the pistol. The sound of it rings out into his ears, echoing loudly in the chasm below them. The bullet strikes the man in the chest, but doesn't have him falling to his knees. The ogre was hit hard with the reinforced bullet and ends up losing it's footing, stumbling back to try and stay on the bridge. Instead of regaining his footing the beast trips over it's feet and yells loudly and falls into the darkness below. His death only confirmed after a lud, sickening crack echoes back up to the hunter.

He raises an eyebrow and looks to the ashes of the bottle, it actually worked. He stopped, or maybe it was just dumb luck.

He huffs and starts to move forward off of the bridge. He makes it to the other side, being met with the sight of a large, decaying wodden barn. A body hangs halfway out of the top window, something sticking out of it's back. Something that looked like a slightly larger version of the sickle those women carry. His eyes dart to the open doors of the barn, they creak loudly. The sound of the doors settling, as if they had been disturbed by someone, or something.

He raises an eyebrow and takes a step forward, until he hears this violent hissing and a snarl. He quickly turns around, right hand out and ready to blow up what was behind him.

Nothing was there, just the path that he had come from. He looks around, what the hell was that?

He sighs and turns back to the barn, walking into the dark building. He frowns as room gets darker and darker, his eyes not adjusting fast enough; much to his dismay. He huffs and and stops for a moment, looking through his bag for something that could help him. He grins as he pulls out a torch, the one he had gotten from Central Yharnam. He looks at it, huffing and working to light it. Smiling after he lights it with a spark from his hands, he almost blew the thing up.

He puts his pistol away for the moment, keeping his damaged axe in his right hand. He looks around, a coppery smell reaches his nostrils. Fresh, and almost overwhelming.

He looks around, a sick feeling beginning to form. It feels like there should be something in there with him? Something to attack him? The silence is rather unnerving, and he can't quite say why. He tries to shake the feeling off as he takes a step forward, freezing at the sickening crunch that fills the air. He looks down and sees a dismembered arm, a crushed wrist that was his doing. He steps back and looks around, what happened?

He looks around, using the torch to make it easier to see. He frowns as he sees a mess across the wall of the barn. Blood splattered everywhere, dismembered body parts and torn up entrails scattered all about. Hidden under a bunch of hay, was some kind of large fleshy lump. That must have been what should have attacked him? But...what the hell did that?

He turns away, looking around. There's the light coming from the entrance of the barn, then there's the darkness that beckons him. He shudders slightly as he keeps heading further into the barn. Seeing a small set of wooden stairs, that leads to an area that leads to a ladder at the far end of the room. A pale, dim light is seen near the ladder that looks like it's so far away.

He keeps looking around as he walks through the darkness, the occasional creak or shift of anything in the darkness makes him jump ever so slightly. He keeps looking over his shoulder as he takes a few steps forward, feeling some kind of presence looming over him.

He stops looking over his shoulder, moving quicker as he begins to hear the sound of thumping footsteps and soft hissing following him. He doesn't dare look behind him for what may be following him might be something he's not quite ready to face. He keeps the torch close, making his strides longer and faster. He's almost to the ladder, only a few feet away. Five feet, three, two...

A loud screech rings out in the silent barn, growing louder and louder as each second passes, sending him scrambling up the ladder as his ears start to ring in pain. He hurries up the ladder, hoping and praying that the thing following him doesn't dare venture alongside him. He finally makes it up the ladder and scrambles away from it. He watches the ladder for a moment before sighing, seeing and hearing nothing more.

The silence of the barn isn't as overwhemling as it was a moment ago, now he can hear sounds from the outside. The light dimly lit the room, but it keeps the shadows at bay long enough to bring some kind of relief.

He looks towards the exit of the damned barn, and heads towards it with no hesitation. Taking in a deep breath as he thrusts himself into fresh air and...he stops.

There was a trail of blood leading around a corner of a building. Looking around, it looks like he's on some kind of roof. He frowns and follows the small blood trail, raising an eyebrow as he sees another woman's corpse. Albeit not as torn up as the other one. But not shown any kind of mercy either way. There was a bloody mallet right next to the body, the head of the woman had been bashed in until her skull was only fragments. The red shawl stained with blood and gray matter.

He passes by, feeling a bit unsettled as he hears some kind of whisper pass him by.

He just speed walks past the body, being careful to stay on the roof, feeling the roof tiles shift under his feet. A few clattering off of their rightful places and bouncing off into the void of the ocean down below. He turns a corner to a long path.

More dead bodies, a few of them are torn to pieces, and others were given a swift death. Or at least, one can hope. One woman had been impaled by her own weapon, the searing hot pole iron still burning her now decaying flesh. Curiously though, her eyes seemed to have been gouged out. The decapitated head of an ogre is missing his eyes as well. He huffs and shakes his head, so what? At least those bastards won't get in his way now.

He looks around, going over to a ledge unprotected by graves. He looks over the ledge, eyes widening as he looks over the carnage that was left behind by god knows who.

As he scans the area, his hair stands on end. He freezes as he feels the sharp, cool blade of a sickle pressed againt is neck. His eyes slowly look to the side, feeling long cold fingers grip his shoulder, the assailant digging their nails, no claws in his shoulder. He feels hot blood slowly run down his shoulder as the weapon is slightly pressed into his neck, drawing more of the crimson vitatlity.

He can't move, he feels frozen in place as the creature hisses and snarls it's curses at him. He feels the blade leave his neck, coming into his line of vision as the blade slowly reachs his eyes. As he feels the cold blade brush against his clammy skin, he yells and whirls around; swinging the axe at the assailant.

Much to his surprise there was no one there, he looks around. Eyes darting to any possible location the creature could have gone. He puts his hand to his neck and feels nothing. No cut, nothing caused by the deadly blade. He then feels his shoulder, the painful wound never existed.

"What the hell is happening?" He mutters, looking around. He looks back down to the area below, seeing the carnage was still there. However, now there was someone standing in the middle of it all. The man from before, the guy with the messed up eyes talking about some kind of 'graveyard whispers'.

Katsuki looks ovr the ledge, it's a jump he could make. And he wanted to get to that bastard as soon as possible.

What's the deal with him? Why is he here? What the hell is he muttering about? Most importatnly, what's going on?

If anybody would have any kind of answers it'd be the local crazy.

He huffs as he jumps down from the ledge, grunting as he lands in a patch of dried up grass that grows taller and taller. Having been neglected for so long. He looks towards the man that holds his face in his hands. Muttering and shaking.

Katsuki takes a deep breath and pulls out his pistol, his grip tightening on the axe.

"Hey fucker!" He yells. Tightening his grip on his weapons when the man looks up so suddenly. He swore he heard the man's neck snap from where he was at the moment. He stopped a few feet in front of the man. The body of one of the large armored brutes with an axe through it's chest was between them.

"What, the hell is going on?" He says loudly, gritting his teeth as the man merely gives him a blank stare. He makes himself stay in place as the man begins to walk towards him, hands shaking and bloodied. There's a an old rusty saw cleaver on the ground where he had been standing a moment ago, it's clearly damaged beyond repair.

Katsuki raises his gun to shoot the man, about to tell him to stay where he was and to just answer the damn question. Before he can even say anything the man is already in front of him, grabbing the barrel of the pistol with such eerily gentleness Katsuki couldn't help but feel a semblance of fear. The man lowers the pistol so it aims to the ground.

"Do you see them?" He mutters softly, his grip tightening on the firearm.

"See what you freak?" Katsuki halfheartedly growls, trying not to meet the man's gaze.

He feels the man eye him for a moment, before he let's go of the weapon then watches as he backs away.

"Ah, they see you though..." He looks past Katsuki, fear but a hint of resentment in his cloudy eyes.

"Don't let them take from you...what they took from me hunter..." The man pats his shoulder, and walks away.

"What? Hey! What the hell are-"

He stops as he realizes the man suddenly disappears. Once again gone without a trace, leaving Katsuki in deafening silence. Withered bodies hung on large poles, their arms tied behind their backs. Their skulls sare down at him, silent judgement.

"What the fuck?" He asks aloud, looking around. He huffs to himself, and shakes off the forming dread. Walking over to the closed gate that burned him earlier, as well as damaged his axe.

He looks over the gate, then pulls the lever. He looks up as he hears the sound of rusty wheels turning, the clanking of gears that lift up the old sturdy gate. Giving him access to the path that was previously blocked off before. He sighs as he looks back to the carnage that he left behind, not much compared to what that weird guy did. Katsuki sighs as he looks around, seeing where he dropped down from, a path that leads past a tilted statue. Then another that leads up a hill.

He walks over to the leaning statue and looks it over. Seeing ivy grow over the old monument. He couldn't quite make out what the statue had carved into it, up ahead the path leads to a dead end. A drop into the freezing ocean that holds the unknown below. He sees something in the distance, he walks down the path; walking over the mangled corpses of dogs and another mad woman. He shakes his head and walks past them until the pathway cuts off.

He takes a deep breath as he feels a cool wind blow past him, offering a bit of relief. He looks out to the distance, seeing what looks like a castle in the distance. What the hell? How was he supposed to get over there?

He looks at what he stands on, what seems to be the remnants of a bridge.

"Must have been torn down, but by what? And who?" He mutters, sighing as he turns away. Katsuki heads back to the main path, if anything everything seemed to point towards the hill. The dead end path, what would have been a straightforward road had it not been for the damned gate.

He looks towards the path and sighs, starting to walk forward. Whatever the hell was up ahead better be worth it damn it. He was ready to leave this place.

He looks around one last time before heading up the hill. Before he went to leave, something caught his eye. A fluttering piece of paper half stuck under a small piece of paper. He went over, kneeling down and grabbing the paper, looking at it. He raises an eyebrow, some kind of weird symbol. With an eyeroll he shoves it into his bag.

He looks around, seeing a more people hoisted onto a pike and left to rot. Some of the corpses stare up to the sky in death, others cast their eyes down to the ground in sadness. Other half-rotted skeletons seem to stare at Katsuki as he passes by them.

Katsuki freezes when he hears a loud hiss from behind him, and the loud stomping footsteps. It takes a moment but he wills his body to move forward again, pushing the sound out of his mind. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real.

"You're not real, you don't fucking exist." He mutters, seeing an old rickety house up ahead. A hiss and a sad laugh answers his rejection.

"You don't fucking exist!" He says louder. He puts a hand to his neck, feeling for where the cut from the sickle would be. He feels nothing but smooth skin, no trace of a wound. He walks faster as the stomping seems to get louder, his hands getting twitchy.

"Neither of you are real dammit." He mutters, ignoring the hissing _right in his ear_.

"Not that freak, not that noise. So leave me the hell alone!" He yells, stopping at the entrance of the ruined home.

He waits for a moment, listening for anything. He lets out a sigh of relief, walking inside.

Katsuki looks around, making note of torn up beds, the scraps and large pieces being stacked on top of each other messily. There are old, rotting wooden barrels that give off a disgusting stench. It smells like rotting meat that's been festering for a long time.

He sighs as he walks over to one of the barrels, near a set of stairs that leads downwards into some kind of basement of sorts. He looks at a barrel and huffs as he tries to open it. Finding the lid to be on tight, hard to lift off. He spents a moment or two trying, he ends up smashing the barrel to pieces with his axe. Only to regret it afterwards, he grits his teeth and covers his mouth and nose to keep from vomitting. There were many small, half rotted eyes and various limbs that wre now splayed in front of him.

"What the fuck?" He gags, stepping away; towards the stairs. He looks over the body parts, looking up when he hears a distant cackle and what sounds like another hiss. He grits his teeth and looks down the stairs, a mixture of annoyance and fear filing him. What on earth was left? What the hell was the hissing?

He tightens the grip on his axe and turns his gaze down the stairs, he was already here dammit. And he figures it's about to to deal with whatever the fucking hissing, and screeching was. Who the hell the 'them' that freak mentioned.

These thoughts run through his mind as he walks down, the old wood creaking loudly under his footsteps. The curiosity slightly clouded over with anger and fear. The want for answers mixed with feeling of aggression and impulse.

Katsuki makes it to the bottom of the stairs, looking around the large room. On either side there are wooden elevated wooden walkways, there used to be a small bridge above that connected the two walkways. There are barrels and worn out beds in all four corners of the room. What the barrels hold, Katsuki doesn't really have any interest in knowing. He walks further into the room, looking around and trying to find the source of the noise he had heard a moment ago.

As he walks further into the room he sees nothing else of interest, other than another door at the far end of the room. He huffs and rubs his eyes. He was fucking losing it, whatever he heard probably wasn't even fucking real!

He huffs and turns towards the door at the far end of the room. He was already here, may as well just finish looking around.

As he took a step forward he felt a woosh of sudden wind, he turned around to see the doorway he had come in through was now blocked off with the solid wall of fog. His eyes dart around as he hears the cackle from before.

As his eyes fall onto a corner where he determines the source of the maicious laugh was there's a noise coming from behind him, at the center of the room. He whirls around and sees a dark figure appearing from the ground, tearing through a rip from whatever hellish dimension it was summoned from and forcing itself into his world. A tall dark creature made completely of shadows, wild hair that fails to cover it's piercing white spheres for eyes.

It looks around, turning it's gaze to look at the world it's found itself in. Much to Katsuki's confusion it just starts walking around, the sickle in it's hand still dangerously sharp. Was _that_ the thing that had been following him around? He watches it walk towards the walkway.

Frankly...it's fucking pathetic.

Katsuki watches it for a moment before turning away to look for the thing he had figured was in the corner. He looks over his shoulder and turns back towards his small destination as the thing comes to the dead end of the bridge. The strange and formerly terrifying creature just staring off into space.

As Katsuki nears the corner a grotesque woman appears before his eyes. The woman was hunched over, her long black hair draped over her face. Her body was covered in what looked like small sewn sewn into an old raggedy cloak.

She noticed him and growls at him, only to receive a yell and an axe to her back. She screams in pain and flinches away as he hacks away at her back, moaning loudly and raising some kind of item in her hand. When she brought it down she had disappeared from view, Katsuki's axe slamming harmlessly into the ground.

He huffs and looks around, she was gone...but she still had to be in the room. The dark creature was still walking around aimlessly, not paying any mind to Katsuki. He hums to himself as he walks around the room, looking around for the witch. He looks around, having only seen the woman when he got close to her, so she could hide her presece from afar. Clever, annoying as hell, but clever.

One of the questions was, how? How could she make herself seem invisible and how did she summon those things?

His mind wanders over the possibility as his eyes scan where he walks.

It wasn't until he walked on top of one of the walkways she appeared again, hobbling away. Not fast enough, and she didn't seem to notice him until the axe was buried deep into her back, splitting apart some of the eyes that she wears. He ignores her howls of pain and pulls the heavy weapon out, bringing it down once more on the already bleeding wound.

He watches the creature disappear again, leaving him to look for her again. She was badly injured, she was a pretty frail lady who depended on the stupid shadwman for protection. Shouldn't take him too long. He looks towards the center of the room as another creature appears, he watches it for a moment, seeing it look around like th other one and it start to walk around aimlessly. He scoffs and jumps down from the walkway.

He looks around, walking across the walkways to confuse the creatures.

 _Don't let them take what they took from me? What the fuck did this lady and her stupid minions do to mess that weird guy up? He must be pretty damn pathetic..._

It was eerily quiet as the boy walked around the abode, searching for the woman while ignoring the creatures of shadows.

He grins as he finds the woman, he extends his axe and runs towards her, yelling as he spins around twice. Striking her twice and making her falls over. He's about to strike her again when he notices that she didn't have the same wounds as she had before.

The hell?

As he's about to strike her again she lifts up her hands and screams, a dark aura surrounds them and sends Katsuki flying across the room. He grunts in pain as he crashes into barrels and boxes, coughing as he sits up.

"What the fuck?" He mutters as he gets to his feet, watching her disappear.

Were there two?

How?

As he silently pondered that, another one of the black creatures being summoned snapped him out of it and reminded hi he had to keep moving. The third one seemd different than the first two. It was more twitchy, and it would keep a constant eye on him. If anything it had made more of an effort to get to him, following his footsteps, but also moving with a brisk pace.

Something told Katsuki he should make more of an effort to keep that thing away from him. He looks around as he jogs around the room, eyes darting to the corners, to the broken bridge. He growls in impatience and irritation until he hears the clatter of something to the ground.

He looks around to the source of the clatter, a piece of wood fell to the ground from one of the walkways. He grins and runs over to the source of the noise, the hunched over crone looks up and hisses at him. It was the first one, with how she was pathetically limping; bleeding profusely.

He raises the axe above his head and brins it down on her back, embedding it deeply. The witch screams as she tries to get away, only to be pulled back to him. He growls as he puts one one in front of her as she turns to his at him. He yells as he sets off a large explosion, feeling the woodwork under his feet tremble from the force.

He pulls his axe out of the burnt and broken body that somehow wasn't blown apart.

"One down..." He mutters to himself, looking around for the second one. He looks around, watching and listening for any sign of where the witch is. As he jumps down from the walkway he sees another one of the shadow creatures appears from the floor.

"What the hell..." He mutters to himself.

As he keeps moving he doesn't notice the witch standing from the other end of the room. She growls as she watches him look around for her, having just watched her sister being felled by this hunter's strange and foreign power. She lifts up her hands, blue lights surrounding them. She yells loudly as she sends the arcane forces towards the boy. She watches in delight as he doesn't have time to react, watching the arcane wrap itself around him and suffocate him. Binding him tightly to where he stands.

"What the fuck!" Katsuki yells, struggling. Tryin to get free from whatever the hell was trapping him. He doesn't take notice of the old crone rushing towards him until he feels a bony hand grab his hair and force him to the ground. He yells and struggles, looking up to see the withered face of the witch grinning maniacly down at him.

"You-" He was cut off as a blade cut into his face, screaming in pain as the blade cut deep into his eye sockets. He struggles harder as he feels her dig her fingers into his eyes and try to pluck out the orbits. He screams even louder as he feels her tug hard, desperately reaching for his pistol.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" He screams, grabbing his firearm and using his other hand to grab her long unkempt hair. He hears her scream loudly as he tugs her hair roughly, pointing the the gun at her. He hears an even louder scream as he presses the trigger, feeling more hot blood splatter onto him.

She lets go and disappears, leaving Katsuki blinded and injured.

"Fuck!" He yells, holding his face; feeling salty tears mixing and stinging his injured eyes. He shakily gets up to his feet, reaching for a blood vial; only to feel a few left. He had plenty left before...

"You fucking bitch!" He yells, grabbing one of his remaining blood vials and stabbing himself in the leg. He grits his teeth as he hears stomping footsteps, his mind taking him back to the darkness of the barn. That thing that had insisted on hunting him down and trying to end him. Trying to send him to madness.

He grunts as he feels the hot blood course through his veins, gitting his teeth as he feels his eyes slowly being repaired. Painful as last time one of them was injured. If he _could_ see, he'd probably be blinded from pain alone. He moves forward, using his left hand to try to feel for any kind of landmark. He huffs and strains his ear, listening for the hisses and stomps the creatures couldn't prevent themselves from doing.

He hears a soft hiss as one slowly approches him from the left, he goes right. Quickly, yet carefully. Trying to feel his way around. Why the hell aren't his eyes healed yet?!

He stops, hearing a soft cackle and a woosh of air. From behind!

He ducks and rolls to the right, knocking over an old barrel. The bitch was right behind him!

He growls as he starts to run towards her, running blindly towards the witch. He stop in his tracks and fires his gun in the direction he's running, nodding to himself when he hears an impact and a small yelp of pain. Right in front of him, he doesn't hesitate to swing the axe down. Again and again, feeling her blood spill and listening to her yells of pain.

Only when the axe strikes the ground at full force, making his ears ring; does he realize she left him again in his blind stupor. He grunts, rubbing at his still healing eyes. The left one was healing faster than the right; then again the right one was the eye she had tried to pluck form him. Still, he coldn't quite see out of his left eye. Everything blurry and bloody still.

He moves forward, moving cautiously as he hears one of the screeches of the dark creature unnervingly close. He hears the creak of wood under his feet, great, on the walkways. He keeps moving forward, until he bumps into one of the tall creatures. He hears it hiss at him, and rolls to the side as a woosh of the sharpened sickle passes right by him. Much to his dismay though his rolled off of the walkway, crashing onto some old boxes.

He grabs another blood vial and stabs himself in the leg, hoping that will speed up the healing process. He grits his teeth and tries to listen for her, hearing nothing the the stomping and hissing from the summoned beasts. Where the hell was she?

He gets his answer when he's grabbed by his hair again, the old crone pulling him back down to her level. He tries to aim his pistol at her when he feels a blade cut into his hand and force him to drop the gun. He yells and tries to reach for his axe, only to realize it has been knocked away at the same time he dropped his pistol. He hears the sound of the firearm clatternig away, she kicked it out of his reach.

"Such pretty, pretty eyes..." A dry, sandpapery voice whispers softly to him, sending shivers running violently up and down his spine. He hears soft laughter that rises into mad cackling as the blade nears his face again.

"Get off of me!" He yells, one hand clawing at the hand in his hair and the other trying to reach for the hand that holds the blade. He grits his teeth, his hand aching and his head throbbing in agonizing pain.

He screams as the blade seemingly comes from nowhere, cutting deeply into his eyes again. He struggles desperately, no longer clawing at the bony hand in his hair but instead reaching for her face. An idea forming in his mind despite the panic and pain. He yells out in pain as she cuts deeper, hearing her drop the blade and feeling cold bony fingers dig ino his eye once again.

He growls as he grabs the dry, greasy locks of the woman. Hearing her yell in pain as he tugs hard, making her comes closer. But causing him more pain as she grasped more tightly to his bloody eye. He yells as he drives a fist into his face, grinning when he feels it hit home. He drives his fist into his face again, making her stumble back but taking him with her.

She growls at him, but doesn't get the chance to grab her blade again. Katsuki puts a sweaty hand to her face, cringing at the feel of the dry and wrinkling skin. He grits his teeth, focusing his efforts into his quirk. Feeling his muscles tese as he struggles and tries again and againto pry his hand off of her.

He grits his teeth and he puts everything into this one attack, feeling the hot destructive power brimming from his hands.

"DIE!" He screams as a large explosion erupts from his palms, biting back a yell of pain as the old crone was blasted away; her hands being ripped roughly from his eyes. He falls to the ground and hears a loud crashing noise from a few feet from where he was. WIthout thinking he rushes towards his assailant, feelig himself push through a cluster of the dark creatures. His feet hit somethingon the ground; almost making him stumble.

He growls andkicks the object, hearing a hiss and the sound of pattering feet trying to run away. He didn't give her the chance, rushing forward and forcing her to the ground. She yells and claws at him, giving a few new cuts but they seem like nothing compared to what she's already done. He growls as he pulls back his fist and drives it into her her face, feeling her trying to bite at him in yet another desperate attempt to get free.

Again, again, again!

He keeps attacking her, again and again until he feels long, cold fingers wrap around his neck and pull him back roughly. He feels the cold hand force him to the ground, the cold sickle held close to his face as the hand tightens around his throat. Cutting off precious oxygen.

He coughs and struggles trying again to summon his explosions, only to feel hot smoke. None of the destructive fire would answer his demands. He keeps fighting, hearing softer footsteps head towards him. No, not again.

He can't even muster up a yell as he tries to get free, one hand reaching to try to remove the beast's hand closed around his throat. The other hand tries to reach for something, any weapon of some sort. He could have gasped in surprise is he could, feeling the edge of the cold barrel of the gun. He grits his teeth as his head spins; seeing dark spots in his darkened vision.

 _Almost...there..._

He reaches out to it, his body desperate for oxygen and his mind desperate to avoid the pain.

He grunts as he grabs the barrel, the gun fumbling in his hands as he's lifted off of the ground. The creature slams him into a wall, wood splintering under the impact. He clutches the gun tightly in his left hands. Grabbing a blood vial with his right and stabbing himself in the leg.

He hears the soft patter of footsteps slowly heading towards him. She probably doesn't have much left in her, one shot should do the trick. The hand tightens as he tries to gasp for air, hopefully he can last that long. The dark spots have now turned into bright flashing colors. He wants to pass out, barely capable of coherent thought at this point.

His left eye is mostly healed, still damaged but healed enough. He sees the witch in front of him, reaching towards him with a shaky hand; barely staying on her feet. He grabs her arm, seeing her flinch in surprise and pain as he pulls her close and shoves the gun in her face.

He presses the trigger and hears her scream in pain. Still alive? Fine.

Again, she screams trying to pull away from him. Her struggles were futile as she started to grow weaker and weaker wth another bullet and another. He grits his teeth, wanting to scream in pain as the cerature holding him tries to subdue his efforts by cutting into him. He can't even feel where it was wounding him, close to passing out s the witch looks up to him. She opens her mouth to croak something out, only to have the pistol shoved into her mouth.

 _Go..to hell..._

He presses the trigger and hears an ear splitting scream, feeling the hand around his throat release him. He falls to the ground and gasps for air, coughing as he tries to comply to his body's demands for air. He hears the clattering of multiple sickles and the screeching of dying creatures as they fade away from existence. He feels an immense amount of power flood into him, as the presence of the monsters fade away from existence.

He lays on the ground for a moment, taking the time to breathe and heal himself. Finding it hard to do anything else at the moment.

He groans as he feels his eyes repair themselves, pins and needles, then sharp stinging. Then the throbbing headache, wonderful. Simply wonderful.

He slowly opens his eyes, blurriness that was blinked away. He looks to the cieiling above, frowning as he sees many bodies wrapped in thick cloth hanging precariously from up above.

Okay yeah, time to get up and get the fuck out of there.

He gets to his feet, groaning and holding his head. Sudden dizziness, he huffs and shakes his head. Looking around the area, destroyed barrels and bloodied ground. Most of it was probably his. He looks around seeing his axe and and lamp up ahead. He grabbed the axe and looked it over, yeah. It had most definitely seen better days. He looks to the lamp, seeing it in front of the door he had meant to go through earlier.

He sighs and goes to the lamp, snapping his fingers and lighting the lamp. Summoning the small Messengers that are somehow comforting to him. Despite still being annoyng little shits.

He turns to the wooden door, rotting from old age. He goes over, half expecting it to he locked; mildly surprised and pleased when it swung open. He looks through the doorway, seeing dark stairways heading down to another wooden door. He looks around the narrow corridor, not seeing anywhere anything could hide and jump out at him.

After deeming it safe enough, he heads down the stairs briskly; wanting to leave as soon as possible. He comes upon the door, pushing it open easily.

As soon as he opens the door, he's met with the sight of a man tied up. Sitting there limply, not seeming aware of Katsuki's presence. He looks over the man, something seeming familiar about him. He hesitantly walks over, seeing what looks like a workshop tool sitting on th lap of the man.

"Hold on..." He tells himself, kneeling down and looking up to where the man's face would be. Eyes widening when he sees a skull staring down to the ground instead of a human face. There were deep cuts into the skull where the eye sockets were.

"Holy shit it's..."

"I've been trapped here...for the longest time." A sad voice says, he whirls around; seeing the man in the doorway. He steps to the side as the man steps into the room, approaching his body. "I haven't..." His voice cracks. "I haven't been able to leave. I couldn't move on...not with them still alive! Not when the whispers kept me here with their demands, with their warnings..." He loks to Katsuki, instead of the bloody face and cloudy eyes he's met with the face of an aged man, an adult who's been aged faster due to worry and stress. His dark eyes full of a mixture of relief and sorrow.

"But now I can leave, they aren't a threat...and maybe I can rest easy..."

It took Katsuki a moment to find his voice. "Who the hell are you?" He demands, watching the man grab the tool from his corpse and look it over. After a moment he looks back to Katsuki and hands him the tool with a smile.

"My name was Caryll." He makes Katsuki take the tool from his quickly fading hands. "I created this tool, and the runes that accompany it. My runes are scattered across all of Yharnam, some held within the nightmares, others held by fellow hunters." He was halfway gone.

"You carve the runes into your mind, with how you are as of now you can most likely only handle three runes. Perhaps even an oath..."

"An oath, runes...what the fuck are you going on about? How the hell am I even supposed to know what they fucking mean!" He asks seeing the man slowly disappear from view. He was fading quickly.

"I recommend asking..." He stops, a look of fear crossing his features. He looks towards the door, if ghosts could break into cold sweats he most certainly would be in one now.

"Asking who? And-"

"You must leave...something's wrong. You must leave now!" He cuts off the teenager, grabbing his shoulders and ushering him out of the room. It takes Katsuki a moment but he regains his footing and makes the near transparent man let him go. The man didn't seem to notice as he kept running ahead, out of the Witch's Abode and out into the open world of the outside. Katsuki huffs as he shoves the tool into his bag and follows the man, freezing in his tracks as he sees the sky.

Katsuki watches as darkness creeps across the sky, not a setting sun no. It was as if the sky was being swallowed up by a dark force, originating from somewhere in the Ward. The afternoon sun is soon swallowed up, plunging the entire world into pure darkness. He looks around, darkness once again claiming his vision until a large spot of white appears in the sky. Then another, and another.

As if the sky was bleeding pale blood, spheres of white appear into the sky close to each other. Like paint splattering onto a canvas, more and more appear until they slowly form what appears to be the moon. The sky slowly begins to light up again, tiny twinkling dots, stars, appear from the dark veil above. The world doesn't seem as dark as before.

Night had finally fallen.

"What the-"

"Hunter!" He feels Caryll shake him out of his stupor. "Hunter are you alone?" He asks desperately.

"What? No, fucking Icyhot and Deku are with me. Why?" He stops when he sees the man's terrified face.

"Someone has brought night...night...no.." He lets Katsuki go. Looking towards the moon. "Eternal night...one of your friends..."

"They're not my fucking friends."

"One of them...has brought eternal night, one of your friends has opened the gateway between nightmare and reality! One of your friends...has begun the end."

"What!"

"Yharnam's done for..." He mutters, looking down to his now transparent hands. now turning to dust. He was out of time.

"What! What the fuck are you talking about!"

The man sighs sadly, most of his body gone. He looks to Katsuki in sorrow.

"Soon, the line between man and beast will be blurred. Don't let yourself be consumed by blood, by madness you understand?"

"By..."

"You understand?!"

"Yes, I fucking understand!"

The man smiles, turning his eyes to the ground. "Do you?"

Katsuki doesn't get to reply as the man had finally turned to dust. His spectral remains being carried away. He looks to the sky, running back into the abode to use the lamp. If Caryll's words were anything to go by he'd have to restock everything and cash in his echoes.

He hurriedly transports to the dream, going the the Bath and buying bullets and blood vials. Before hurrying over to the Doll and holdng out his hand, demanding strength and vitality.

Once she was finished he packed everything up, slinging the satchel over his shoulder and rushing to one of the graves. Before he teleports away the Doll stops him.

"Good hunter." She says softly.

"What!" He yells, itching to head back to Yharnam, something telling him he had to go back and kick someone's ass. Probably Deku's, knowing him he probably fucked everyone over.

"The Messenger's have a gift for you." She looks to the pale creatures that hold up an item to Katsuki. He grabs it, muttering a whatever as he leaves. Not seeing the mocking pose one of the Messengers mimicked.

 **-HotN**

Katsuki huffs as he looks around the chapel, seeing someone new. He didn't really care to know who they were at the moment. He heads outside, quickly disposing the two lantern bearers that insisted on bothering him.

He looks to the sky, the pale moon watching over him.

"Shit..." He mutters. He looks up when he feels something, like a shift in reality. It came from the chapel. So it one of the others, he looks to the chapel. Expecting the person to come out, to look at what happened to the fucking sky!

He walks over to the entrance, seeing a head of red and white hair.

"Oi! Icyhot!" He yells, getting his attention and grabbing him; dragging him outside. He see's Shouto's eyes widen.

"When did..."

"Where the hell is Deku! What the fuck did this!" He yells, valid questions. What exactly was it that _did_ this.

"What do you mean? Why would you think someone did this?" He ses Shoto look around. "Where is Midoriya anyway?"

Katsuki told him, the way the moon had appeared. How it wasn't normal. He grew ever more irked when he noticed Icyhot wasn't really paying attention. He had to be paying some kind of attention, because as he spoke Shouto's seemed to be growing more and more concerned.

"Hold on..." He sees Icyhot rush inside, seeing him looking around.

Now that Katsuki had thought about it, something was wrong. He had received no greeting, he hadn't heard or seen a certain someone.

Katsuki heads inside the chapel, doing a quick visual sweep of the place.

Something _was_ wrong.

Someone was missing.

He looks to Shouto.

"Where's Victoria?"

 **-HotN-**

 **That took forever! Sorry it took so long everyone!** **I had actually thought it wouldn't be, or take this long. But it did, so hurrah hurrah I guess. Think?**

 **So, I've been thinking about a doing another crossover. WHile I research (*cough*cough*WatchAnimeAndPlayCertainGames*cough*cough*) other shows and genres for another project.**

 **Well I'll see you guys later!**

 **HAve a nice day/night everybody!**

 **P.S I do not own MHA/ Bloodborne**


	11. Chapter 11: Fear the Old Blood

**Fear the Old Blood**

Izuku sighs as he watches Katsuki walk off to the area he had chosen to explore. He listens to the footsteps fade away as he turns towards the large doors of the Grand Cathedral.

Even just looking at it made him feel uneasy. He bites his lip and looks around, feeling the full gravity of how alone he really was. A single footstep seemed to echo on forever in the Cathedral Ward. He shakes his head, looking towards the path he's chosen. Round to the right of the Grand Cathedral.

He sighs, walking forward. Izuku looks around as he walks forward. Looking upwards he tries to see the top of the Cathedral, finding that it spans impossibly high. The clocktower standing atop the holy place, the bell toll echoing throughout the Ward. He hums to himself, looking back down to the eye level world.

As he walks along the stone path, he sees man statues huddled together. Carved out to reflect the misery of the world. People draped in stone clothes, faces unseen hold out hands that either contain small, barely lit candles or a plea of help. Other statues look towards the cosmos, seeming to pray to gods that offer to answer to their cries. Other statues merely hold themselves in an attempt to comfort themselves in their world of despair.

"What compelled people to carve out statues like this?" He asks himself, trying to fill in the silence. Now that he thought about it... "Why are there so many of these statues anyway?" Another question. With no semblance of answer, other than his personal speculations.

"Was it just something that became part of their culture? But why would they want to make that part of the usual customs of this city? Is it just something that became preferred over the years?" He begins to mutter to himself, the verbal rambling of is thoughts taking his mind off of his objective at the moment.

It wasn't until he almost fell down the stairs he snapped out of thoughts. Catching himself and clinging onto the stair railing, gathering himself and reminding himself what he was supposed to be doing. Reminding himself that he had to focus.

He sighs and takes a moment to refocus himself, taking in his surroundings. He was halfway down the stairs, leading to an area that has a rather straightforward path leading downwards. He takes a few steps forward, seeing a rooftop that can be reached easily. Off to the left there's a break in the railing, looks like somewhere he can drop down. He walks over, looking down the fall, on the top of one of the roofs was a body.

"That seems unfortunate..." He mutters to himself as he backs away, the fall doesn't seem that far looking at it. It seemed that the man who fell to his death had lost his footing and met the roof face first. He hums to himself, seeing an item of some kind next to the body. He'd get it later, right now he was more interested in seeing what was down those stairs. He sighs as he walks towards the stairs hearing a few dry leaves crunching under his feet, the only thing really cutting through the silence.

He stops at the top of the steps, looking down at the path set before him. A narrow set of worn down stairs leading to what was probably a courtyard. As he makes his way down the stairs he hears something that sends his mind into full alert. A sharp crackle, like lightning, cuts through the quiet air.

Izuku pulls out his saw spear and blunderbuss, looking ahead as he hears slow, calm footsteps slowly making their way towards him. He makes himself take another step forward, only stopping when he sees a masked, hooded figure making their way towards him. Izuku makes note of his weapons as the figure catches site of him, walking towards the teenager with a much more brisk pace.

A wooden shield in their left hand, it looks old and worn down. Only held together by small bits of rope and sheer luck. In their right hand was a small staff like objet, a metal sphere at the end that seems to be the source of the electricity.

Izuku slowly backs up the stairs, his mind going high speed as he analyzes the weapons.

Calm, controlled. The staff would probably do more blunt damage than anything. Considering how the hunter held it, the sphere was rather heavy and would most probably _hurt_ , when he was hit with it. Not to mention that the electricity would probably stun him for a good few seconds, he couldn't quite determine what the voltage could be from where he stood. He readies himself as the man dashes towards him, swinging the weapon in a wide arc; making Izuku jumps back, the carckling orb barely missing him by a few centimeters.

He's quick, well so is Izuku.

He grunt as he presses the trigger of his spear, thrusting forward and catching the wooden shield in his attack. He hurriedly pulls the spear back and shoots the blunderbuss, the bullets catching the shield. He notices how the man tensed up with the second attack, drawing the shield in closer.

Alright, three hits might break his guard and stun him a moment. Giving him the opportunity to get a few good hits in. An easy pattern to recognize, but that meant getting in close and the possibility of him getting tazed was high. Considering how quickly the man could move around...although, if he used One For All...

Izuku dodges and swipes at the man as a plan forms quickly in his mind, there are a lot of holes and possible pitfalls but it was fine for now. He yells as he knocks the man back a bit, making him stagger but keep the shield up. That was fine, it gave him the small window of time he needed to focus his energy and send it rushing through his body. Green lightning crackling and sparks around his body. He sees the man seem more attentive, for a moment thinking he had heard him mutter something under his breath.

Izuku rushes forward, unsure how long his quirk would stay with him. He has to make the best use of it while he can, he dodges to the side and swings a fist at the shield that came up quickly.

 _One_

Another swing, he felt the shield slightly give under his punch.

 _Two_

He grits his teeth as he feels the strength of One For All begin to drain away, the green glow around him starting to dim. His mind races in mild alarm and worry, not a lot of time really given towards his power.

In his moment of dropped guard and little attention he swung his fist mindlessly, not expecting the man to dodge to the side. Izuku watches the man raise the small staff, unable to react fast enough to move out of the way. He's only able to twist his body to plant his feet on the ground in a futile attempt at escape. He tries to jump away, only to feel what felt like a hard punch to the gut. He would have fallen to his knees if he could, his limbs stiffen up and don't allow movement.

His breath catches in his throat as he feels the violent lightning course through his body, a scream of pain and surprise wants to escape, only to stay frozen in his chest. Izuku watches the man run at him and kick him down the stairs, the electrocution finally wearing off. He yells in pain as he's sent tumbling down the stairs, struggling to regain his balance as he rolls to the foot of the stairs.

He groans, slowly getting to his feet.

That was sloppy, really sloppy. Aizawa would surely have his head if he had seen that. Right after he kicked the guy's ass, but he most certainly would scold Izuku for that one.

He looks up, hearing the crackling of energy of the staff. Alright, now he knew better. The guys was most definitely fast, and may be just as observant as him. Looks like skill and brute force is going to solve this one.

As he presses the trigger of his weapon, putting it back into the full form. As he's about to go up to face the man he hears the sound of a gun going off, and quicker than he could register it he feels a bullet bury itself into his back. He whirls around, seeing another hunter beside a well. He held a strange gun, it was pretty interesting build; too bad he couldn't really admire it as he presses the trigger again and the man from before came running at him.

He ducks down, narrowly avoiding a bullet. He hears a grunt of pain as the bullet buries itself into his friend. He dashes away as the man brings the weapon down with a yell, cracking the pavement beneath him.

Two against one, perfect. One who seemed to favor range and the other was very good at close range. Perfect, simply perfect.

He jumps back with a yelp, ducking down and running over to the side of the well. He saw how the second hunter kept his distance jumping away whenever Izuku came within a few feet of him. He fired off the gun again, the bullet embedding itself into the well. His friend dashes past him, running around the well and swinging his weapon at Izuku. Izuku took the moment fire fire off his blunderbuss, flinching when he heard that strange ringing noise.

He took the chance rush forward and dig his hand into the hunter's abdomen, gripping the innards tightly and ripping them out. Stunning the hunter and making him fall back. He looks up as he hears the click of a gun, moving to the side as a bullet grazes his cheek. He watches the man begin to walk to the side, gripping what looked like a spear tightly in his right hand. Izuku looks to the recovering hunter and fires the blunderbuss at him.

Izuku rushes forward, watching the man back up hurriedly as he sheathes the gun. What he hadn't quite been expecting was that the spear could also shoot bullets. He discovered this when he was about to bring the saw spear down on the man, only to feel the breath knocked from his lungs as yet another bullet lodges itself in his chest.

"You gotta be kidding me..." He mutters sofly, darting side to side as the man keeps trying to shoot him. By the time the first hunter had recovered and gotten back to his feet Izuku was already halfway up the stairs, dodging the swipes of the spear. He looks up when he hears the familiar crackling of lightning, seeing the first hunter heading towards him. Izuku quickly steps back from another swipe, about to rush forward only to have more bullets pierce into him.

He grunts and runs up the stairs, stabbing himself in the leg. He couldn't fight them in close quarters, and with such little space to move around. As he ran up the stairs he noticed the first hunter, the one with the lightning staff was more than eager to follow him, and the other one began to retreat back down the stairs. So one was more conservative, and preferred to stay in familiar territory; while the other was willing to come forward.

Izuku retreats back to the top of the stairs, trying his best to summon One For All again, only to feel deflated and empty. He heads into the slightly more open area, the man rushing after him despite his injuries. Izuku took note how he struggled to stand up straight, probably in immense pain after having his innards ripped out. His shield also looked worse for wear, so hopefully he could at least break through that.

The man came running towards him, lightning sparking at the edge of his weapon. He tries to Izuku with a hard swipe, only to receive a bullet for his troubles. Staggering for a moment, unable to recover fast enough to dodge the green-nette's quick swipes from the saw spear.

 _One_

He tightened his grip to the shield, tensing up and trying to keep balance.

 _Two_

The wooden shield almost gives way under his fist, hearing the wood splintering. He fires the gun so he keeps the shield up, staying on the defensive. He draws the spear back, pressing the trigger to give him reach. He thrusts forward.

 _Three_

The shield breaks under the hit, it's lifespan seeming to come to an end. If he could have seen the man's face, Izuku would expect a shocked expression in crisis. Oh, and in crisis he was.

The man brings the small staff down in an attempt to hit Izuku, as he was right in front of him. Only to fall to his knees when a bullet is buried into his chest, Izuku takes the moment and repeats the first attack. Driving his hand into the already bleeding wound, and ripping out whatever was left. He hears the man scream and fall back, his body fading into a blue mist in death.

He takes a shaky sigh and look back down the stairs, then around the area. He looks to where the hunter's body had disappeared and sees three strange papers lying on the ground. Curious, he walks over and picks them up. As he takes them he feels some kind of electric energy humming from the papers, similar to what he was struck with.

He pondered what they could be for a moment before stuffing them into his bag, his mind going to the second hunter.

Izuku walks over to where he saw the body on the roof, peering down to look at the man. In all reality, it was hard to see the man from where he stood, he blended into the environment pretty well. He was only able to see the man when he shifted a bit, seeming rather nervous and skittish.

"He's probably expecting me to head down from the stairs, and with how loud the man yelled he probably knows I killed him..." Izuku mutters to himself, feeling a small pang of guilt. He shakes his head and pushes it down, no. Can't focus on that right now.

"As soon as he sees me he's going to fire like crazy, he had pretty good range. And if I get in too close he's going to impale me or shoot me blank point, and that does a lot of damage." He looks down to his chest, his hand unconsciously going to where he had been shot by Henryk. He wasn't sure why, but he swore the rough, stinging pain that he had felt then, never really left. It felt like that quicksilver bullet was still in his chest.

"But if I came from behind..." He looks at the man, seeing how he seemed to keep his gaze trained on the stairs. "Maybe I can take him by surprise, and hopefully I can take it from there." He looks down to the roof, yeah he could easily make that.

He keeps an eye on the hunter as he jumps down onto the roof, landing away from the body. Izuku looks to the body and to the item next to it. There were stab wounds and the clothes were torn up. So the man might have actually been _thrown_ down onto the roof, by what? He didn't really care to guess, he just grabs a strange squishy lump of blood and stuffs it into his bag. He looks around a chimney, the man still not paying any kind of attention to him.

Izuku walks to the end of the roof, dropping down between a wall and the natural rock wall. He stifles a yelp as he almost get's caught in the branches of a tree, almost landing face first in the dirt. Graceful as usual.

He slowly walks out, still going on unnoticed. He creeps around, slowly treading towards the man. He stands behind the man, a strange anticipation welling up inside of him. He takes his stance and brings the saw sleaver back. He hears the soft ring, and the pale light appear at the edge of the weapon; and brings it down on the man's turned back. He hears a yell of pain and surprise, watching him fall to his knees and doing the couresy of ripping out his innards.

He feels hot blood spray onto his face and clothes s the man falls forward, groaning as he tries to get to his feet. Struggling to push through the pain and shock. Izuku presses the blunderbuss against the man's head, pressing the trigger and hearing another yell of pain.

Surprisingly the man had been able to scramble to his feet faster than Izuku thought possible with those injuries. He sees the man jump back a bit and fire the gun, narrowly missing him. The man was heaving, seeming to struggle staying on his feet.

Izuku looks oer the man, he's fast too, and likes to keep his distance. If he could just close the space fast enough, he could probably get a few solid hits in. Maybe if he hits the man just right, he can finish him.

He huffs and dodges to the sideas more bullets come shooting towards him. He runs behind the well and grits his teeth, feeling One For All course through his body again. Good, hopefully it would last him long enough.

He waits for a moment before the gun goes off again, jumping up and rushing towards the man. Jumping from side to side, avoiding bullets that whizz past him. He gunts as he jumps above the man, landing behind him.

"SMASH!" He yells, driving his fist in the man's side, he hears a loud crack and the man goes tumbling away. Hitting the base of the stairs with a yell, he coughs and holds the area where he was punched. There was probably some internal bleeding if Izuku had hit his ribs hard enough to break them, probably a pireced lung. The man struggled to get up, his body not obeying his commands to rise.

Izuku rushes over and finishes the man off, hearing him yell and disappear into a blue mist. As the man disappears a few bullets clatter to the ground. He feels his quirk drain away and he gathers the bullets. He looks around, seeing to way to go. There seemed to be a pathway that led behind a stack of large boulders, and another set of stairs. Leading further downwards.

Izuku looks over his options, humming after a moment. He hums and walks towards the boulders, stairs seemed to lead to death and very hostile creatures.

He walks to the edge of the cliff, looking around. From where he stands he can see the courtyard where he just was, and stright ahead there was another pace to drop down to. And yet another bloodied body that looks like they had been trying to escape. Izuku drops down next to it, raising aneyebrow in confusion. It was a nicely dressed man, a look of fear and terror immortalized in his carcass. There weren't any stab wounds or large gashes, but instead what looked like bullet wounds.

"He was shot, and porbably bled to death since there's no bullet wounds in his head. It was probably that one hunter with the gun." He puts his hand on his chin, his gaze turning upwards. "But what is it they were trying to keep hidden, nobody would just stay here for no reason. Maybe they were posted here by a superior, but then who would that have been? And that asks the question, why are they trying to keep it hidden?" He mutters to himself, beginning to list off a few possibilities until he hears a wheeze and a cough from down below.

He looks around before walking forward, carefully looking over the rocky ledge. Down below are two gunmen, each on their own respective ledges. They seem to be watching over an open area further down below. Izuku tries to see what was ahead, only to almost fall forward and gain the attention of the man below him.

While Izuku regains his balance the man loads his gun and shoots uselessly at hit, the bullet only hitting the stone above and rendering itself harmless. The man growls, and as about to reload, Izuku jumps down and quickly kills off the man as quietly as possible. The less of these people know about him most certainly the better. He creeps to the edge and the last gunman down below still hasn't taken notice of him. Instead watching over two large, armored brutes that carry even larger axes.

 _Oh great..._

Izuku tries to think about how he would deal with them, until he reminds himself that he still has the last man to deal with. He quickly drops down, swinging the spear downwards and pinning the man to the ground. The man yells in pain, and growls at the teenager, only to perish a moment after. He ducks down and looks over the edge, biting his lip when he sees one of the brutes had heard and taken notice. He stopped patrolling and stares up where the noise was made.

Izuku waits for a moment, feeling the stare of the beast. After a moment the brute walks away, resuming it's patrolling, growling and stomping away. Izuku hums and watches the one leaving, seeing it go up some kind of hill off to the side. It walks back down and back to the wall, then repeats it's patrol route.

 _They're strong and fast, and their weak points are behind them; but they can react quicky. I'm not sure I can stun them mid attack, my bullets miight not be strong enough._

Izuku keeps looking around, he could possibly use the environment to his advantage. He'd lose that the minute he jumped down for a surprise attack, and looking at the distance between the two brutes surely the second would see him and come after him. So it'd be a two versus one, the one at a complete loss of advantage. The only upper hand he might have on them is agility, but it can't help him if they're fast enough to slice him in two.

He began muttering to himself again, going over what he could possibly do. The option of just running past them coming up again and again, but the possibility of them following him was just too great.

 _I can maybe lure one away up to the courtyard, giving me more space to work with and only having to take on one. Once I finish it off I can deal with this one and I'll have the entire area to myself._

He repeatedly goes over the plan, making sure he has most possibilities planned out. Such as if they both run up after him to the courtyard he could possibly go around and jump off the small ledges and run like hell to what was ahead. And if it was a dead end...well it would be safe to say he would fucked.

He waits until the brute turns from the wall before jumping from his perch. He yells as he swings his weapon down, getting the attention of the beast. It wasn't able to react fast enough to counter in any way, the weight of the teenager slamming down onto him as the teeth of the saw spear roughly cuts into the armor. He hears something break as he jumps off of the collapsed beast that slowly gets it it's feet.

He turns to the brute and yells as he sees it running at him, recovering faster than he thought it would. Izuku races towards the hill, the beast growling and roaring hot on his heels. Much to his relief the second one didn't take notice, leaving him with just the one to deal with. He hears the stomping footsteps getting closer and closer as he runs into a narrow tunnel. He grunts as he falls over, a strange creature covered in a bunch of faces hissing at him skitters past him.

He only had a moment to process what the hell that thing was before the beast came barreling towards him, managing to get through the narrow opening. He scrambled to get to his feet, only to drop back down again as the beast tried to swing the large axe in a small arc; seeing it embedding itself into the wall. He watches the beast struggle in the narrow pathway, not having enough room to fully utilize it's strength and free the axe.

An idea comes to Izuku as he scrambles to his feet, running towards the beast and clamoring over it to get to it's back. And as if the beast knew what the boy was planning it had begun to try harder to get the axe free.

Izuku draws the saw spear back and brings it down on the back of the beast, forcing it to it's knees. He saw the armor had given way under the attack, looking weaker and more worn than the front of the armor. Izuku grunts as he drives his hadn into the beast, the armor breaking under the force but the metal cuts into his hand and arm. He says nothing as he forces the innards out into the open air, dropping the bloody bits to the ground as the creature collapses.

"Okay, one down." He says to himself, getting two blood vials for his troubles. He takes a moment to look oer himself, a few bullet holes and a little scuffed up, he could feel a major bruise on his abdomen. He quickly uses one of the blood vials and huffs as he feels himself recover, it still felt strange and kind of hurt with how everything just righted itself so suddenly. It was nice, certainly saved recoery time, still was a bit hard to get used to though.

He sighs to himself as he walks back down the path, taking a moment to wonder how the others are doing. What if they're already finished? How likely is that? Are they alright? If he finishes up here before them should he go after one of them and help them out?

His mind goes to Kacchan for a moment before completely snuffing the idea out, his tempermental friend had promised some kind of punishment should anyone follow him. That threat had been mostly directed to Izuku though.

Todoroki was probably fine, he was more than capable of taking care of himself and probably didn't need any kind of assistance. Same thing for Kacchan, except the threat of being blown up was there, where was Todoroki might be more accepting of the company.

Izuku shakes his head and looks ahead, they're fine. They don't need him, they can take care of themselves. He looks up and finds the second brute staring him down across the way, so much for his element of surprise.

He watches the armored creature begin to run towards him, the axe raised in the air. Izuku rushes towards the brute as well, watching it jump up and quickly ducking to the side as the heavy weapon was brought down. It slammed to the ground, it rang out as it struck stone.

Izuku grunts as he swipes at the beast twice before jumping back, the axe nearly cutting into him. He watches the beast hold up the weapon defensively, slowly stalking over to the teen who was backing up. He jumps when he hears another vicious hiss at his feet. There was another one of those strange creatures covered in faces, some grinning, others weeping, and a few look like rotting skulls.

Out of surprise he had shot it, killing it. His attention went back to the brute as it had spun around, missing him once but catching him the second time. He yelled as he crashed into a tree, feeling blood seeping from the wound. Lovely.

The beast came running at him and he ducked down, dodging to the side and hitting it again. The beast whirled around and slammed it's head to the ground, forcing the boy to the ground as well. He yelped as the axe was almost brought down on his head, quickly avoiding it by rolling to the side. He feels the ground tremble under the force the axe was slammed to the ground, he looks up as the beast quicly raises it's axe to bring it in a wide arc.

As he swings it Izuku fire the blunderbuss, catching it as the axe slammed into him. He yelled in pain and went tumbling, a deep laceration on his arm, a bit above the elbow. He yells and holds the wound, his arm was barely hanging on. He looks up and sees the creature on it's knees, momentarily stunned.

He forces himself to his feet and rushes towards the beast, unconsciously channeling One For All. He yells as he forces his fist through the intact armor, feeling it shatter under his fist. He forces his hand into the body of the creature, roughly grabbing whatever rotting organs are inside and pulls them out. As the beast's blood runs down his face he feels the wound from earlier close up, recovering instantly.

He steps away and watches the beast fall to the ground, whatever power it held inside was now his. He pants as he wipes a bit of blood off his brow, then stabs his leg. He feels whatever injuires he had before fade away. He sighs and looks ahead, seeing a strange room up ahead. From where he stands he can see a large room up ahead.

He slowly makes his way into the open doorway, looking around the circular room. He lets out a small 'wow' under his breath as he circles around. Tall pillars reach upwards, seemingly endlessly. He can't even see the ceiling, there's no logt that reaches that far up. He turns his gaze downwards and looks around his immediate area.

In the middle of the room was a strange tub, a large bath. He walks over, kneeling down and putting a finger in the water. Pleasantly surprised when he feels it's cold, refreshing water. He sighs and cup his hands, taking some of the water and rubbing his face. He feels some of the grime and blood wash off, feeling refreshed as he shakes a bit of the water off. He would wipe his face on his sleeve, but that is covered in blood as well.

He looks to the small cloth he keeps around his neck, knowing it goes over his mouth. He sits down cross-legged and takes off his hat and the mouth cover, then taking off his gloves and running a hand through his hair. He couldn't really stand hats, he wasn't too sure he had put that one on though.

He grabs the hat and shoves it in his bag, as well as the cloth. He didn't really care for them, he felt they weren't really necessary. He sighs and looks straight ahead, seeing a large set of doors. He stands up and sighs, putting on his gloves real quick.

"So this what they were guarding?" He mutters, walking forward and standing before the tall doors. He walks forward, putting a hand to the doors. A sick feeling crept up his spine, it wsn't like the door of the Cathedral that made him want to run away. Like there was someting lurking inside that had practically _dared_ him to open the doors.

With these doors, it was just a feeling that he shouldn't be there. Like it was meant to be forgotten and unknown. He put his ear to the door, trying to listen for anything.

Silence.

He couldn't hear anything, like there was nothing but the void on the other side of the door. Something nonexistent and never meant to be. He looks at the doors, grunting as he tries to open the doors.

He stops after a moment and seps away from the doors.

"Nothing, there's nothing here." He mutters, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It had been a meaningless effort, there was nothing. He huffs and starts to walk away, suddenly freezing when he thought he heard something. He spun around and jumped back when he saw a dark vortex heding towards him, threatening to consume him. He gets a bit of distance, running to the entrance and looking towards the sealed doors, seeing the vortex disappearing.

"That's...that's just like the one by the chapel!' He says. A violent chill runs down his spine as he feels something turn it's eyes on him. Something tells him to run far away and not to return, and he listens. He races from the strage building, running past the dead bodies of the executioners and racing through the courtyard. He flies up the stairs and runs to the stairs of the Great Cathedral, only stopping after he tripped over one of the wooden crucifixes carried by the black garbed men.

He grunts, falling over and smacking his face on the stone stairs. He groans and sits up, holding his bleeding nose. He looks around, seeing he's sitting on the steps of the Grand Cathedral. He sighs and looks down wiping away and blood and looking at the ground.

 _You're useless Deku!_

He groans and rubs his eyes, trying to push down that annoying message he's been told time and again. Even if it's true.

He just turned tail and ran away from nothing, nothing! There was nothing there, just a bad feeling. Why on earth did he run away, what was there?

He rubs his temples, his head starting to hurt.

 _There's nothing to be scared of, why should something so trivial as a bad feeling send you running?_

 _Because you know something is wrong, you know something bad is in there. Whatever made that dark vortex is not good._ His mind came up with no argument, going blank for a moment. It felt like his fear had been justified, yet it felt like he was just being a coward. He sighs and looks at the doors of the Grand Cathedral, his mind going back to that moment where he had first touched the doors. That feeling of absolute fear, the strange presence that shook him to his core.

 _What is there to be scared of in there?_

 _I don't know.._

He sighs and stands up, walking down the stairs and away from the cathedral. His mind running a million miles a minute, most just scolding himself and trying to convince himself to open the doors to the Cathedral.

What was there to be afraid of?

Everything.

He sighs as he heads to the chapel, trying to find a way to distract his mind. Trying to shove down the quiet words that keep plaguing him.

He argues with himself in mumbles, subconsciously avoiding the bodies on the ground. He keeps a tight grip on his weapon, a small anchor to keep him form getting too lost in his own mind. He mildly debates about looking into one of the other areas the others went to, just to see how they're doing. Maybe they could use a hand...no, he already went over this they wouldn't need him there.

"Mister Deku!"

He looks up, finding that he's already made it to the chapel. He couldn't help but find a smile on his face when she ran up to him, she looked relieved to see him there.

"Mister Deku, did you find mommy or daddy?" She asks, unable to hide the anticipation in her voice.

Izuku struggles to keep his face impassive, his mind going back to the promise they made...or rather the promise Katsuki made for them. Even Kacchan didn't have the heart to tell the girl they essentially murdered her father, and her father killed her mother. In all reality could anyone be able to do that?

 _Pro heroes do it all the time idiot, grow a pair._

"No, no I didn't. All I really found was a dead end, but maybe Kachan and Todoroki might be able to find them." He answers, forcing a small smile on his face. "I was...actually going to go see somebody back in Central Yharnam. Maybe he's seen them?"

The girl deflated a bit at that answer, then looked at him; or rather his chest.

"Does it still hurt?" She asks, pointing to his chest.

"N-No, not really. Not anymore." He answers.

She fiddled with her hands a bit, unsure what to say.

"Is Miss Eileen okay?" She asks.

"I'm sure she is, I can go check if you want." He offers, receiving a small nod in return.

He sighs softly and starts to head towards the tomb, stopping when he feels a small hand grab his.

"Mister Deku?"

"Hm?"

"...thank you." She mumbles softly, clinging to him for a moment before letting him go and going back to talk to the Chapel Dweller.

Izuku stays there for a moment before moving forward again, going down the stairs and walking past the bookcases, pushing in the stray chair and heading down the ladder.

He drops down, water sloshing around as he walks forward. He quickly goes through the narrow passage and walks down to the tomb. Passing through the once locked gates and down the old stone stairs.

He mind began to wander as he walked through the graveyard, stepping over shattered graves and remains of statues. He looked around for the crow hunter, not too sure what she had looked like, he had only gotten a quick glimpse of her when she questioned him then dashed off.

He saw a figure resting against the large statue, arms crossed and head down.

Looked like she was resting, maybe he could talk her after he checked on Gilbert. If she was awake, he shouldn't disturb her.

He hears the bell chime in the distance, echoing throught the silent city.

The silence was what bothered him, it was aways there no matter what. Even with the multitudes of enemies that came barreling at him, once they were gone nothing was there to break through the deafening silence, even a little bit. Nothing to distract his mind, leaving his thoughts able to rampage everywhere and nowhere.

He put a hand to his chest as he stepped over the idiots that were killed by their own ball of fire.

His mind begins to replay the events as he cuts down another stray enemy that decided it would be a good idea to attack him.

He ran, no he bolted. He screamed at him to stop, not sure why he had expected the hunter to heed his plea.

He saw the fear she was in the paralyzed state that sent the fight or flight instinct out the window. His own sent him fighting, he felt himself unconsciously tap into his power.

Green lightning met crimson when he jumped in front of her, grabbing the barrel of the gun and forcing it down. He heard him press the trigger and he remembered screaming in pain, for some reason it hurt like _hell_. It hurt more than the regular quicksilver bullets the citizens attacked him with. He had been shot in the chest, he had felt the got quicksilver pass between his ribsd hit something vital.

On instinct he drew back his fist and punched the man to the ground, whirling around and grabbing Victoria. He heard her yelp as he picked her up, dashing up the stairs.

That's when things had begin to go blurry and whatever leash he had on his temper had temporarily vanished. He heard hurried footsteps chasing after him, some kind of yell that prompted him to turn around once more.

Henryk had made the mistake of chasing after him. He had turned around and grabbed the man's collar, using the great strength his quirk blessed him with and slammed him into the wall.

He heard a crack that felt so sickeningly _satisfying_ , he _wanted_ this man to hurt, to suffer.

He had felt a manic grin across his face before he had seen Katsuki and Shouto run up the stairs. Once he caught a glimpse o them he felt his temper deflate, no. He couldn't unload there, he couldn't lose himself then. Not when there was a scared little girl in his arms.

He felt a pang of guilt, he shouldn't have taken out what little rage he let out there. But it was justified right? He had almost killed Victoria..

But what little he let out was not all directed at the man, no.

There was a good amount of that directed towards that one villain, what was his name again? Shigaraki right? Yeah, yeah that had to be it.

Izuku had a lot of patience, one would say infinite. But there's always a limit for everything, but he could never find a good way to really let it out.

His mind would sometimes go back to the time when he was small, when he had felt frustrated at Kacchan. He had been beaten up again for being a 'Quirkless Deku'. He knew he had no power to stand up against his friend. None at all, so he shoved that frustration deep, deep down into the dark where it didn't need to be seen. And he continued to forgive him, that frustration beginning to be directed at himself.

It felt right, like he did deserve to be frustrated at himself. He couldn't even muster the courage to stand up to Kacchan, to tell him to stop. Not that he would.

But with that Shigaraki bastard...

He was scared at first, absolutely terrified. Then Aizawa-sensei had gotten hurt, then Tsu was almost killed.

Everyboy was in danger, everybody could have died.

He had hurt the people he cared about, and it had just been a _game_.

A game.

It was only a game when he had hurt Kacchan and Todoroki, who could have died. He could have decayed right before his eyes.

It felt like an insult in all honesty, and the thought made him want to beat the villain to the ground.

He wanted him to _hurt._

Hurt, no suffer.

Yeah that sounded about right.

What if he had gotten sucked into this place too?

Oh what a thrilling thought.

He would be as powerless as them, his Quirk would be rendered useless by whatever strange force that kept their quirks away from them. That left them feeling empty and helpless.

Would he have infinite lives like Izuku and the others, or would be be so unfortunate to have not gotten any of the miracle blood that bounded them to the Dream?

He didn't know which would be better.

Making him suffer infinitely, or just the one chance to get rid of him once and for all?

It felt like his teeth wre vibrating as the darker thoughts began to rampage through his mind.

He felt something warm splatter onto his face, a beast's blood for sure.

His mind began to wander, what would Shigaraki's blood feel like, drenching his shirt in bitter, coppery crimson. Getting his just deserts, getting everything _everything_ he deserved.

It would certainly feel satisfying right?

Of course, but _how_ should he do would be the question.

Should he hack him to pieces with one of the weapons of Yharnam? Or should his rip him apart with his own strength?

His teeth chatter as he allowed bright green lightning to spark around him, feeling great strength course his veins as he roughly rips out the innards of some kind of creature. More hot blood splattering, excitement bubbles up.

What if it it had been Shigaraki?

That would have disappointing, he wouldn't have seen his face, the way way it would have been twisted in absolute agony. How everything that belonged inside would instead be exposed to the light of day. How the hot blood would run over the cool cobblestone of the city. He would gladly bring the body back home, only to throw it in front of the villains and show them how powerless, how worthless they really were!

Wait, what?

No, he just...it's just Shigaraki right? That's the only person he would...

By why just get rid of one when you can get rid of them all?

But that's not what a hero would do right?

You're not a hero, you're a hunter.

That doesn't mean anything does it? There's still a moral ground, still an entire world of right and wrong.

Except here, where blood must be spilled to survive. There is no such thing as right and wrong.

No that's a lie

He felt his body trembling terribly, his mind was still racing. It was like an immovable object met an unstoppable force, he was trying to stop these violent thoughts...where had they come from? Why would he...never. Never he would never do that so why, why did it seem like the most desirable thing in the world.

Stop it!

He reached out for something, something to ground him, to bring himself back to reality. He felt something hard and metal in his hand, it was attacked to something bigger. Okay, that's okay.

Where was he now? What happened?

His grip tightened on the bar, he couldn't focus. Everything felt wrong, everything felt dizzying. What was going on?

"Young man...I would appreciate it if you didn't break the rung to the ladder." A woman's voice broke through his thoughts.

He gasped and looked around, finally free from the mental cage. He felt himself panting, it felt hard to breathe at the moment. He looked at the source of the voice, seeing a slightly taller figure right beside him. Her cloak was covered in blood, he was suddenly aware of how much everything _hurt_.

He groans as he falls to his knees, letting go of his grip on the ladder.

He felt so confused, where was he? What happened?

"You certainly put yourself through the ringer little hunter." The figure with the crow's mask knelt down, looking him over. "You have more blood vials yes?" She asks.

Izuku wordlessly nods, stabbing himself in the leg. He felt whatever wounds he had sustained fade away, as if they never existed.

"What, happened I thought I was heading over to..." He gagged, oh god he felt nauseous.

He forced himself up and ran to a stone railing right next to the ladder. Ah, now he remembers where he was, the sewers. Where Victoria had run through and went up the ladder.

Damn he didn't make it very far.

He leaned over, emptying whatever could possibly be in his stomach. It felt like there should be nothing, he hadn't eaten in...how long?

That was a good question, how much time had passed. It was still a late afternoon in Yharnam...but time didn't feel real there. How long has it been afternoon? How many days has passed since they were taken?

How long has his mother been worrying about him, wondering where on earth her dearest son could be? How many sleepless nights have passed for her? How many new gray hairs has he caused her?

Guilt didn't make his already queasy stomach feel any better. Leaving him feeling even dizzier and more nauseous.

With shaking knees he collapsed again, his hads still on the railing.

"You were mumbling to yourself when you left the tomb. Something felt off and I followed you." She says, watching him closely. "You visited some person, keeping your words brief, you seemed a tad bit aggresive. You had taken something from him then, much to my own surprise, you headed towards the beast. You made awfully quick work of them, and they almost killed you off plenty of times. For some reason you didn't use your blood vails, just taking the hits."

She raises an unseen eyebrow to the boy's shocked face.

"I take it you don't remember any of this?"

He shakes his head, getting hurriedly to his feet; only to stumble a bit.

"What! How long has...Are Kacchan and Todoroki back already? I shouldn't have-"

"Hardly any time has passed." She stops him, grabbing the back of his coat to keep him from scrambling up the ladder.

He turns to her. "Huh?"

She stares at him, sending chills running up and down his spine. She waits for a moment before letting go of the coat.

"Your mind is fraying awfully early little hunter. Night has not even set in yet." She gestures him to step to the side, then motioning for him follow her as she climbs up the ladder.

Izuku watches her climb the ladder before numbly climbing up after her. He felt his head spinning in confusion, when had he talked to Gilbert? What had he taken? Why did he go after the beasts? What was going on?

He began mumbling questions to himself, trying to wrap his mind around what happened. All he could really remember was...wanting to hurt someone.

No, he he wouldn't do that, he would be so brutal to the villain. That wasn't right, he doesn't deserve to die but...

"You seem to favor mumbling to yourself." She sighs, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah...it's a bad habit of mine." He says quietly, following her back to the tomb.

He looked around, stifling a gasp when he saw the torn up bodies of beasts. Blood and body parts scattered all over the place, the walls and ground was painted red. With what was probably both his blood and the beast's blood.

"Did I-"

"Yes." She said, already aware of what he was going to ask.

They climb the stairs in silence, a tension hanging in the air. The teenager couldn't help but feel like he did something wrong, what he did, he's not too sure.

They walk into the tomb, up to the leaning statue. She leans her back against the statue, crossing her arms and stares at Izuku for a moment.

She sees him sweating up a storm, he looks nervous as hell.

Good, if there's one thing she feels she should instill into him it's fear. Not of the beasts, or of blood. But of _her_. If this boy could possibily be close to anything she's seen in the streets, maybe this fear could keep him on the right track.

"You lost yourself." She says simply, earning confused look.

He opens his mouth to speak, only for he to keep talking.

"Your mind went to a darker place, and you let youself get lost." She tells him. "It's not uncommon for hunters to mentally lose themselves, it can often help them fight back the fear they have of the beasts. But you...you lost track of yourself. You let yourself fall into that dark hole of sadism we all have, especially towards those who hurt us."

"I..."

She held up a hand, making him stop.

"You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, you're responsible and seem trustworthy." She tilts her head. "Are you aware of what my occupation is?" She asks.

He shakes his head, of course. The only interaction they really had was just her running up to him, asking what was going on, then bolting away.

"I am a hunter like you." She felt a small smile play on her lips. "But my prey differs from yours."

"Your prey?" He asks, a bit of apprehension rising in his voice. She took note how he quickly scanned her, his eyes darting to the blades, her gun, and her mask. He was observant, seemed clever, and with how he fought he was very strong, and brutal. From watching his fights with the beast it was clear he would take the most brutal way out if it meant clearing everything out quickly and getting out alive.

Just what Yharnam needed, a strong hunter with a dash of mental instablity. Perfect.

"Is it safe to assume you hunt...hunters?" He asks, planting one foot behind him. He was expecting a fight, and he hadn't seen her fighting style. So he would either run away or dart forward for a strike.

She nods, still not moving from her comfortable position. "As I said, a good head on your shoulders. Do you know why I have to hunt hunters?" She asks.

"Because all of them turn into beasts at some point? Because some are more dangerous than others?" He responds, it came out more like a wary question than a confident and definite response.

She nods. "Both correct answers. Are you aware what category you fall into young man?" She asks, her eyes darting to his hand when she saw it twitch. He was scared, reasonable. But he was most likely still disoriented. He was still pale, and he was probably still stuck in his head somewhat.

"I would hope neither."

She chuckles. "You are dangerous, but you're not unhinged like so many are here. You're aware of what you're doing and like the sensible side of you said, there _is_ and right and wrong." She stands up straight, walking over. She sees him back up a bit, trying to predict her plan, only to be surprised when she merely put a hand on his cheek. She bit back a laugh at the surprised look on his face.

She let the sharp fingertip of her glove leave a small cut on his cheek as she removed her hand after a moment.

"Don't make me kill you little hunter." She hums softly before patting his cheek lightly.

She turned away and went back to her resting place, snapping him out of his shocked daze.

He opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again. Not sure how to respond.

"What's wrong?" She asks after a moment. "Still lingering about? Unnerved young'n?" She gives a small laugh. "It's no matter, without fear in our hearts, we're little different from the beasts themselves."

"Without fear..." He mumbles softly.

Yes, fear. And with how he seemed wary to even walk past her now, she was sure she put in some of that much needed terror into him.

"What are you still doing here?" She asks, seeing him jump. "Enough trembling in your boots." She points to the stairs that lead to the Cathedral Ward. "A hunter must hunt."

He nods, walking briskly past her before running up the stairs.

She listens to his footsteps echo and sighs.

 _He would make a good crow..._

Izuku feels the small cut on his cheek as he walks through the small study, minor, hardly drew any blood. It was more of a tactic to terrify him, and terrify him it did. He thinks over the old crow's words as he walks up the stairs.

"Mister Deku!" He looks to see Victoria running up to him.

She was about to run over to hug him, stopping when she sees he's covered head to toe in blood. She stops in her tracks and looks up at him, blue orbs meeting green.

"Hey, uh, how are you doing?" Izuku asks, kneeling down. She looks so relieved to see him.

"I'm doing better, are you alright Mister Deku you're..."

"I was hunting, and I might have gotten a bit carried away." He answers, a small smile on his face.

She nods. "Daddy would come home covered in blood sometimes..." She mumbles softly.

Izuku stands up. "I'm going to head towards the Grand Cathedral, maybe I'll find your mom or dad over there." He says, a false promise that sends his stomach churning.

She fidgets, seeming uncomfortable with him leaving again. Izuku noticed and gives her a reassuring smile.

"I won't take long, I promise. I'll just go inside, look around, and then come back. I don't think there will be much in there." He says, trying to both convince himself and her.

"But what if it does take long?" She asks, full of concern.

"Then...uh..."

"I'll look for you!" She says, not a suggestion but a promise.

"But what if Kacchan and Todoroki come back? They might not want you to come looking for me, and what would they think if you weren't here?" He asks.

"They can help me look for you, but what if they don't come back though?"

"Then I'll look for them, but they'll be fine I promise. Kacchan and Todoroki can take care of themselves." He assures her, seeing her look down and pout.

"That's what mommy said about daddy...then he never came back. Then mommy went looking for him, and then Grace said she'd be okay...then _she_ left. None of them came back...and what if...Mister Deku what if you or Mister Kacchan or Mister Todoroki are hurt? What if you need someone to find you? Like mommy and daddy?" Her face was riddled with concern and determination. She wasn't willing to lose someone else.

Izuku looks at her for a moment before sighing. "I won't be long, I promise. If I'm not back in another clock chime, you can come looking for me." He tells her, hearing the clocktower ring out again. An hour, that gave him an hour.

She nods. "Okay..."

He stands up and heads out of the chapel, his mind made up. Practically willing himself to head to the Grand Cathedral. Something about what Eileen had said, just kind of stuck with him, and helped make up his mind about the cathedral.

 _Enough trembling in your boots. A hunter must hunt._

Enough trembling, just push the bad feeling down.

Izuku takes a deep breath as he steps in front of the large doors, that awful presence that made him want to flee was still as prominent as ever. He made himself walk forward, putting his hands on the giant doors.

He grits his teeth as he pushes against the heavy doors, they seem to rumble in protest with being moved. They open ever so slowly, until they finally give way and open. they don't open all the way, just enough for him to get through.

As if it wsa like magic, that bad feeling had just gone away. He could feel some kind of presence in there, but it wasn't overwhelming like in the beginning.

He takes a deep breath and walks inside, the noise from outside fading away. He looks around in awe, looking up to see the statues carved in the cathedral. Strange creatures with holes riddles in their heeads sit across from each other, in their are they hld what looks like are giant harpoons that cross paths.

He noticed off to the side are lit candles, they sit next to a paper of some kind. He walks over, raising an eyebrow as he picks up the paper.

 _Heir to the ritual of blood, purveyor of ministration._

 _Place you hand on the altar's sacred covering, and inscribe Master Laurence's adage upon your flesh._

"Master Laurence?" Izuku asks aloud, his mind running through the names of those he's met, and those who've been mentioned. Hardly any at all, that gave him nothing.

"He has an adage but...what does it mean to inscribe it upon you flesh?" He mutters. His mind immediately jumping to someone carving words into his skin with knives.

He's about to go over the possibilities when he hears a voice echoing from farther in the cathedral. He looks up the stairs in shock, listening to the voice.

"See the old blood. Let us pray...let us wish...to partake in communion. Let us partake in communion...and feast upon the old blood."

A woman's voice, she sounded like an adult. Probably in her late 20's.

He began thinking about what Gilbert had said when they initially met him. Someone here was in charge of blood ministry, and to seek them out of he wanted answers on 'Paleblood'.

And if there was one thing this place didn't have enough of, it was answers. Now maybe he could get some.

He begins to climb the stairs, hearing her speak further into her prayer.

"Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears. Seek the old blood...but beware the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young."

He thinks over the words, mostly wanting to know why and where the hell someone came up with such a verse. But something in those words echoed with him, making his hair stand.

 _Beware the failty of men_

He makes it to the top of the stairs, seeing the source of the voice. A woman in a raggedly white garb sits in the middle of the room on her knees. Her head bowed as she cluches something tight to her chest.

"The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths. Remain wary of the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, their minds young."

He steps forward a bit, but waits. Not wanting to interrupt her prayer.

"Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented..."

He waits a moment, not hearing her speak anymore. She stayed where she was though, not moving. Her raggedy breathing echoes throughout the building.

He begins to walk forward, seeing her perk up a bit. She looks at the item in her hands, then up to the altar. Her breathing started to become erratic.

Izuku froze, that dark feeling returning. That feeling that told him to run as fast as he could, he felt himself rooted in place, watching the woman.

She brought the item close to her chest, then throws her head back and begins to convulse as a scream rips from her throat.

Izuku watches in horror as the woman's bones begin to break, her flesh expanding and forming into something grotesque. Her clothes rip as she grows in size, fur replacing what was once skin. He listens as the screams of agony slowly turn into guttural roars as large horns burst from her skull.

He trembles as he feels her blood spray onto him, watching the large white haired beast roar loudly as she clutches whatever precious item she has in her claws.

She slams one of her claws to the ground, growling as she turns to the boy. Her eyes covered by bloody, raggedy robes from when she was human.

 _Oh no..._

She screams loudly as she jumps towards him, slamming her fist down where he was standing a moment ago. She looks around in confusion for feeling a sharp item dig into one of her hind legs.

Izuku keeps his weapon in it's closed form as he cuts into the beast's leg, jumping back when he saw her dragging her claws in a circle around her. He jumps away last second, barely avoiding the attack.

He backs up, watching her prowl towards him. He makes note of how she only attacks with her right arm, in the left is whatever she had been holding before. Her strong hind legs gave her the ability to jump and close long distances. Yet whenever she was attacking she hand to balance on her hind legs, and she seemed very reliant on her right for balance.

He watches the woman turned beast growl at him before she clasps her hands together. It had taken him a moment to realize what she was about to do, he darted to the side. Only to hear the loud pounding of the ground and feel himself get caught in the violent whirlwind she caused. He feels himself crash into a pillar, looking up as she jumps forward. Not to be directly in front of him, but enough for her to reach forward and dig her claws into him, dragging him across the tile.

 _She has long range and short range attacks. My bullets won't do anything to her, so it's going to have to be blunt and striking attacks. I have to get her right arm, injure it enough so it'll stagger her and hopefully I can go on from there..._

He gets to his feet and jumps back as she slams a fist to the ground, ducking to the side as she tries to claw at him again. While she takes a moment to rebalance herself Izuku dashes to her right, yelling as he raises the spear and brings it down on her arm as hard she he can. It hardly budges, he raises the spear and cuts into her arm again.

The weapon hardly cuts through the tough skin and reformed bone, hardly doing anything to stagger her. He runs to the side, getting behind her as she made attempt to grab him. He began to slash at where her Achille's tendon should be, finding less resistance in that area than the thin arm.

She screams as she begins to slam on the ground repeatedly, the floor trembling under the force. He stumbles, but maages to keep his balance. He looks up to the beast as he turns towards him.

He dodges to the left to avoid a right swipe, instead to dodge right into a swipe that sends him crashing into a pillar.

He yells in pain, feeling something break from the collision. He sinks to the ground, only to force himself to his feet as as stabs himself in the leg.

"So she's also willing to use her left...damn it.." He mutters, wiping some blood off his brow as he charges forward. Watching her take another right swipe at him. She reverts to using her right arm, almost catching Izuku as he had momentarily expected something from the left.

 _Still favors her right, so using her left must be a knee jerk reaction when I was too far from her favored side..._

He keeps to the right, contually dodging her wide swipes and sharpened claws. He notices how she screams whenever she's about to attack, like a person yelling whenever they bring down a weapon with great force.

He jumps put of the way of a whirlwind caused by her slamming the ground. He feels the rair rushing past him, nearly catching him in the violent torrent. He sprints forward as she jumps towards him, her fist crushing the ground where he stood a mere moment ago. She was about to turn around until she felt something slam into her right arm.

Izuku grits his teeth as he hears something crack loudly as he slams his body into the beasts arm. She screeches loudly and falls forward, her arm no longer supoorting her. He quickly dashes to her face, seeing her look up and growl at him. She opens her mouth to take a bite at him, only to have two fists clasped together slam down on her snout, making her scream even louder. Izuku pants as he feels his power slowly fade away.

He grits his teeth as he forces his body to retain whatever fading energy is left from One For All, he yells as he forces his hand into her skull. Feeling her struggle and trying to pull against him, but her injured arm won't give her the support she needs, and the left hand is still desperately clutching onto her item. He feels as if his entire body is on fire as he struggles to keep One For All with him, also feeling trying to lose control like it wants to immediately jump to 100%.

He roughly wrenches his hand hand from the inside of her skull, ripping out something, not too sure what. He backs up as she shakes her head, blood pouring down her face. She lets out a low, guttural growl as she lunges forward quickly.

It surprised Izuku, and he jumped back, momentarily losing focus and feeling the burning built up power leave him quickly. He gasps and tries to force that power back to him, only to be grabbed by the beast.

He yells and struggles, trying to break free from the beast's strong grip. Before he could free himself he's slammed repeatedly into the ground, he screams in pain as he feels his body breaking harshly under the slamming force. She growls at him and tosees him across the room, watching him crash at the foot of the altar.

Izuku groans, half of his efforts going into trying to draw upon One For All, and the other half goes into trying to recover. He grits his teeth, biting back a yell of pain as he forces himself to grab two blood vials, paling when he only feels a small handful left.

 _Damn it!_

He stabs himself twice, grunting as his bones reset themselves and whatever internal bleeding her had heals.

He gets to his feet dizzingly and looks at where the beast now looms over him. She screams and slams down a fist, narrowly missing him. Izuku pulls out his saw spear as he dashes to the side, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. He raises the still closed spear and brings it down on her right arm again, seeing it cut deeply into bony appendage. He pulls it out and stumbles back as she begins to pound on the ground again.

Still a bit disorientated he falls on all fours, trying to regain his balance. He looks up, seeing her right arm barely supporting her. She was hesitantly leaning on her left, that precious item still clutched tightly. His eyes dart between the arm as he gets back to his feet, rolling out of the way as a claw raked across the floor. Injuring her left arm might be worthwhile, if it makes her possbily drop the item that might send her into a panic and give him the time he needs in order to stagger her again.

His eyes look across the room where tiny shards of glass and a small puddle of blood sit. So much for getting his vials back.

He pants, tightening his grip on his weapon as he runs forward. He hurriedly rushes forward, ducking under a swipe and raising his spear to strike at the beast's arm. Before he brings the weapon dow the beast swipes at him with her right. He was unable to dodge in time, feeling himself crash into a pillar and lose his grip on the weapon.

He hears her scream loudly, her pounding footsteps heading quickly towards him. Eyes dart around to look for the weapon, he tries to grab the weapon; only to see it was smashed under the beast's large fist. Izuku looks up, seeing the blood and unforgiving face of the creature staring down at him.

He lets out a yelp as he rolls away from a snap of her jaws, scrambling away to get to his feet. He looks to his now shattered weapon, useless.

He grabs his remaining weapon, the cane heavy in his hands. He feels for his blood vials, feeling only three left, well two now. He forces himself to jump away as the creature leaps towards him, once again trying to crush him under her fist. He keeps dodging her quick swipes, and harsh claws. Growing more and more aggressive with what seems like each passing moment.

In a moment of peace he presses the trigger on the cane, transforming it into the serrated whip. He waits until she charges at him and dashes through her swipes, striking at her across the face with the whip. He hears the serrated edges tear into the thick fur and flesh of the beast. He hears her roar at him and take another swipe at him, desperate to end his life.

Izuku keeps up with the swings, dodging to the side or through them, striking at the already injured arm. He hears the sickening cracks as she forcibly moves her arm around, pushing through what must be agonzing pain.

He grits his teeth as he felt a bit of the ground under his feet give way when he tries to jump back.

 _I can't dodge this!_

He yells as bloody claws impale him and drag him across the floor, he then feels her slam a fist onto his body. He screams as he feels something in his right leg shatter, swearing he feels bone protrude from his flesh. He's about to try to get to his feet until he's grabbed and flung across the room.

The air is knocked from his lungs as he slams into the altar, a few of the candles being knocked over and falling to the ground. The strange skull that sits at the altar doesn't seem to be affected at all.

He gasps and cough as he sits up, feeling blood run down his face. He grabs the two remaining blood vials, stabbing himself with the foreign blood. He feels most of his injuries recover, flesh sewing back together and bones reshaping themselves into proper form. Much to his dismay though he feels whatever shattered in his leg was still broken. He discovered this when he tried getting to his feet, and once he put weight on his right leg sharp pain was shooting all thoughout the wounded leg.

He swears he hears the beast laugh at his condition, slowly prowling over.

 _Nothing I'm coming up with is working..._

The ground trembles under her heavy footsteps.

 _I'm out of blood vials, and I only have the whip left. That hardly does anything!_

She snarls softly as she draws nearer and nearer.

 _I don't know how much she has left in her, how far am I going to get with how I am right now?_

His mind was racing, trying and failing to come up with some sort of concrete plan.

 _If I'm going to end this I have to end it quick. If only I had One For All..._

One For All, his mind momentarily goes back to the moment he somehow forced his body to retain that great strength. It had taken a lot out of him, both mentally and physically. It required a lot of focus, and pain tolerance...well he had one of those things down.

He grits his teeth, trying to draw on that power again. That empty feeling fills his chest, the indicator that his quirk can't answer his demand for it's power.

 _Can't or won't?_

He forces himself to focus, trying to drown out the noise of the terrifying footsteps that slowly stomp towards him. He clenches his eyes shut, bowing his head. Trying to shut it all out, trying to force himself to bring out his last chance.

It's like a thread of light, it's right there and so close. Yet as he reaches out to grab it, it retracts. He get's closer and closer and it goes farther and farther away. He chases after it, the only bit of light in the darkened space, what didn't belong.

He wants to scream as he chases after it, the dark space growing what feels more and more perilous. A desperate reach for that tiny thread of power. He hears another loud stomp, shaking his head and forcing himself to focus on the tiny thread of light.

Deeper and deeper into the dark space, until he smacks into a wall. A thick, seemingly indestructable barricade that had the small thread waiting for him. His breathing picks up as he feels the ground tremble beneath him, thinking he feels hot breath on him.

He beats against the wall, wanting to scream and cry in frustration. It's right _there_ in front of him just waiting.

A loud ringing fills his ears as he claws at the wall, panicking when he sees the small thread beginning to fade. He feels his body slowly begin to break as he contiues to try to break to the wall, feeling someting give. He screams as he pounds on the wall, hearing it slowly begin to crack apart, piece by piece.

He feels the ground tremble again, this time it's right in front of him. He was going to die, he was going to die! A violent rush to fear coursed through him as he a loud guttural growl rings out in his ears. Shaking him to his core.

He yells in desperation, feeling something break as he forces an outreaching arm, and grasps the fleeting thread tightly.

The beast watches the boy as she draws nearer and nearer, watching him tremble and shake. She growls at him as she sees something sparking around him, it was time to end this. She raises both of her fists, clasped together to crush the boy.

The beast seemed startled when a loud, savage scream tore through the cathedreal. The beast less expecting to receive a harsh blow to the face.

The boy roars as he drew his fist back and slammed a fist in the monstrosity's face. He felt himself grin when she staggered, backing up for a moment to eye him and charge forward.

 _Hold the thread, hold the thread...draw in more..._

He was nothing but a bright bolt of green lightning darting around quickly and hitting even quicker. He heard her roar loudly, swiping in random directions to try and catch him. She eventually gets frustrated and begins to slam the ground with her fists again, before thrashing wildly about as she was being smacked by one blow and another and another. As she had been looking for him on the ground, he slammed onto her head; grabbing on of the large antlers and trying to tear it off.

He managed to succeed, hearing a loud splintering noise as the antler clattered to the ground. The beast screamed in agony and slammed her fists on the ground in frustration and pain, giving Izuku the perfect moment to dash away and recollect himself.

He bit down all the pain that was shooting through his body, ignoring the protests as his body begins to ache and burn painfully. It feels like fire under his skin as his bones try withstand the ever growing power of One For All. He only freezes for a moment as he feels hot blood dribble down the side of his face, following up with a violent cough of dark crimson. He stands there, dazed for a moment before jumping out of the way of a whirlwind.

 _I don't think my body can take much more..._

He yells as he tugs on the thread harshly, feeling more power shooting throughout his body. He feels violent winds rush around him as his coat is ripped apart, exposing the glowing red lines that spread across his upper body and face. He braces himself, seeing the beast barreling towards him. He bites back a scream as he feels something in his right leg shatter again.

He waits until she's upon him before he brings his fist back, feeling a smile on his face as she tries to bite him in two. He shouts as he drives his fist into her maw, hearing a loud crack. She wails and shakes her head, falling forward when her right arm gives away.

Izuku rushes forward, slamming his fists down on her head when she tried to roar again. He watched her bow her head, trying to recover.

He doesn't give her the chance as he slams a fist into her skull, bone shattering under his fist. He hears her roar in pain, struggling against the boy. Roaring again when he forces his other fist into the other side of her skull. With her damaged right arm she tries again and again to back away and rip herself from the painful grip of the bloodthirsty hunter in front of her.

Izuku sends yells as he gives the thread one last pull, gathering up as much of it as he could, before ripping out the inside's the beast's skull. He watches her writhe and convulse in pain before her large body slams onto the ground, explosing into a fountain of blood that stains the wall of the holy place. He watches the small item she held so dearly clatter to the ground before him.

He kneels down to pick it up, only to suddenly collapse onto the floor. He pants as he lies there for a moment, feeling One For All slowly fade away from him. Leaving him with an aching body and dozens of invisible needles stabbing into him, grinding his nerves. He gasps, and cough as waves of pain wash over him, ignored as he forces himself to sit up. He reaches out for the item, hands grasping a pendant of some kind.

He brings it to himself, looking at it through blurry vision. There was some kind of design decorating it. His fingers ghost over the design, pinpricks of chils racing up his rembling fingers.

Theres a loud hum that prompts him to look up. To his right a lamp had appeared in the middle of the room. The unlit candle welcoming him with a promise of safety. To his right was the altar he's crashed into so many times, his eyes widen when he sees the strange skull on the altar humming with energy glowing brilliantly in his blurry vision.

He's not sure what it is, but there's a small voice in the back of his mind that tells him he should go over to the altar.

He groans in pain, managing to get to his feet, putting his weight on his left leg. Gritting his teeth when he feels it creaking, like it'll give away any moment. He slowly limps over to the atlar, inhaling sharply every time he has to put any kind of weight on his right. He begins to see dark spots coloring the edges of his vision, his heading pounding. He wants to pass out, but he feels as if he has to obey the strange voice.

He almost falls forward, catching himself at the edge of the altar. With shaky arms he steadies himself and looks to the skull, it's vacant eyes staring deeply into his own. The humming from the malformed skull turned into a loud painful ringing, high pitched and painful. He slowly reaches out a trembling hand, reaching out to touch the source of the strange ringing.

As soon as he makes contact with it it felt like he was pulled into another reality, forcibly dragged from his own body as his vision goes dark. He wants to scream as a loud, deafening roar fills his ears, until there's nothing but silence.

"Master Willem, I've come to bid you farewell."

He gasps as he opens his eyes, breathing heavily as he tried to look around. Only to have his vision still painted by darkness. He tries to move around, to speak, only to find he couldn't. He had no body, and he had no voice.

Slowly his vision begins to come back, and he finds himself looking at a rocking chair. An old man taps a staff of some kind as he speaks.

"Oh, I know, I know. You think now to betray me."

Suddenly he's looking at the back of the rocking chair as another voice speaks,

"No, but you will never listen."

A younger voice.

"I tell you, I will not forget out adage."

His vision goes dark for a moment before he's staring at the old man. Watching his lips move.

"...We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open..."

"Fear the old blood." They say in unison.

His vision goes dark again.

"I must take my leave."

He hears footsteps walking away, the creak of an old door opening and thudding shut a moment later.

He's suddenly looking above the rocking chair, on a stairwell of some kind. Watching the old man, Master Willem, rocking back and forth.

"By the god, fear it, Laurence."

His vision goes dark, as he feels himself being pulled back by some strange force. The words echo in his mind.

 _Fear the old blood_

He yells as he's suddenly slammed back into his body, feeling like he was blasted backwards as he came to. He tumbles to the ground and focuses on trying to breath, his breath only coming in short gasps. It felt like his lungs refused to take in precious oxygen as he held his head, the words bouncing around painfully in his mind and echoing relentlessly.

He opens his eyes, seeing the lamp sitting there patiently, waiting for him. He tries to will himself up to get to the lamp, his body refuses to comply. He tries to focus on controlling his body, his mind instead going back to those words that won't leave him.

 _Fear the old blood_

 _Fear the old blood_

 _Fear the old blood_

He lays there for a while, until his exhaustion and injuries drag him in the dark world of sleep.

As his consciousness fades he thinks he hears the ringing of the bell.

 **-HotN-**

 **Wowie this took me a while.**

 **My school year is almost over so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently. Also, I'll be updating this fic every other chapter since my other fic Shadows of the Past, Light of the Future did really well for it's first chapter. Unless the chapters are really short (read maybe less than 10K words MAYBE)**

 **Fun fact- I actually had two other versions of a Blooborne and BNHA crossover before I started writing this one.**

 **The first version was an amnesiac Izuku trying to find his way through Yharnam while protecting Victoria. His memoires leave as soon as they come and he's left with only bits and pieces of his memory. He's constantly struggling to remember the little things, like his name and what he's trying to accomplish. Victoria would often help remind him.**

 **The second version was during the events of USJ where the teleporting quirk had gone wrong and Aizawa wakes up in Iosefka's Clinic, having to find the entire class. They would be scattered throughout Yharnam, and the nightmares.**

 **And then this version came**

 **Hurrah!**

 **Well, have a good day/night everybody!**

 **P.S. I don't know Bloodborne or BNHA**


	12. Chapter 12: Nightmares and Kidnappings

**Nightmares and Kidnappings**

His world was dark, and silent.

He was stuck in between the plane of existence and nonexistence. It was hard to tell, whether he was real or just a figment of his own imagination. There was nothing but the cold, hard floor that gave him only the slightest indication of being.

The silence faded away after what may have been years or a few mere seconds. Being replaced with whispers of nonsense. Hard to grasp or understand at all, only catching bits and pieces here and there.

Among all of the quiet whispers where was one louder voice, it started out faint; far away. Then as time passed that one voice began growing louder and louder. It was hard to focus on it at first, but it had begun to sound familiar, making him anxious to listen closer.

It was warm, and familiar. Oh so familiar, but he couldn't quite place how. His mind too muddled at the moment. He knows the voice, he _knows_ he does. He _has_ to...

"Izuku?"

His eyes snap open.

He looks around his immediate area, still in the Grand Cathedral but something felt...different. Something felt wrong, horribly wrong.

The bloodstains from his previous battle were gone, leaving only the drab coloring. The lamp that he had seen earlier disappeared, no trace of it.

"Izuku?"

His head snapped up, again! That voice it was...

"Mom?"

He scrambled to his feet, almost falling over. Most of his injuries were gone, all that remained were just a few bruises and scratches.

He ran towards the source of the voice, towards the long set of stais that led down to the Ward, or maybe they led home. He doesn't register that the world feels a little bit darker, that everything feels upside down.

He rushes down the stairs too fast, tripping over his own feet halfway down. He grunts as he tumbles down, receving new scrapes and bumps. He groaned as he landed at the foot of the stairs, rolling over painfully onto his back.

"Izuku, there you are!"

He shot up, getting to his feet to look at the wide open doors of the cathedral. Instead of the depressing landscape in a world full of horrors, his mother stood at the entrace surrounded by what he could only describe as the warmth of home.

He runs at her, hearing her laugh as he tackles her into a hug. He stifles a sob, and holds back hot tears as she wraps her arms around him. He wants to cry when he hears her begin to sob loudly, hugging him tightly.

"You're alright..." She murmurs, feeling him nod.

"I-I am, I'm o-okay." He assures her, ignoring the feeling of something wrong. He pushes down the sick feeling in his stomach, writing it off as not important.

"I'm so happy to see you again, but still." He hears a frown in her voice, the joy fading. "Izuku dear..." She runs a hand through his messy hair. "Why did you leave me?"

His eyes snap open as her voice deepened, turning into vicious snarls. He forces himself free from her embrace and watches as the once familiar, smiling face of his mother begins to distort. He watches her body break apart, bones protuding where there were no wounsd before. Her body convulses violently as she twists and screams in pain, claws growing where there were fingers, teeth sharpening into razar sharp spikes.

He backs up, watching the malformed creature he called his mother turn to him, dark eyes filled with a ravenous hunger that demanded to be satiated. He feels tears begin to run down his face as the creature roars in pain, collapsing to the floor and reaching for him.

"I...zu..." She threw her head back, blood splattering across the walls as her body was forcibly reshaped into a large creature. Dark green fur with streaks of gray were colored red in some parts. The once kind face was now forever stuck in a scream of pain and horror, dead eyes that stared him down. The beast roared and began to barrel towards the frightened boy, making him scream and run up the strairs form whence he came.

He yells as he hears a large claw slam into the stairs, trying to catch him and tear him apart. He almost trips over himself once or twice, always regaining his footing and running even faster than before.

It felt like the stairs were endless, there was nothing to reach. There was only the boy and the beast.

He flinched when he heard the sound of a guttural roar, feeling it reverberate throughout him and shake him to his core. He gasps as he thought he saw the top of the stairs, a possible end to this torture. He felt the ground tremble as the beast bounded after him, he could almost feel the sharp claws graze the back of his neck.

He reaches the top of the stairs, the shaking ground making him lose his balance. He grunts as he turns around, seeing the beast is almost upon him. He helplessly whimpers and backs away from the stairs hearing seeing the beast lunge at him. He closes his eyes and turns his head away, begging for a swift death,

He hears the slamming of doors and something large slam into them. Metal rings out in protest and the roars of the beast are muffled behind something.

He hesitantly opened his eyes, looking to where the beast should have been. Instead, at the top of the stairs there were large doors that hadn't been there before. He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding, shakily getting to his feet. He flinches when the beast roars, making him backpedal away from the door. He covers his ears as the beast pounds against the door, again and again.

He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there before the pounding faded away, his thoughts and scared words helping to drown it all out.

"Stop...Stop please. You're not real, not real. Not real..." He mutters, over and over again. He realizes the pounding was gone after he had quieted down.

It felt hard to breathe, like thick, hot air was suffocating him. He was once again sealed in a dark, silent space. Time was frozen.

He's not sure how long he sat there, eyes screwed shut and hands covering his ears. He was only aware of the stone ground beneath him, the only concrete thing in whatever twisted reality he was in.

As he took a deep breath he suddenly became aware of the loud crackling behind him. Like firewood popping and sparking. The deep, labored breaths of a creature of some kind.

He willed himself not to look, to not turn around and face whatever was waiting behind him. He failed to obey they command, shakily turning around. He covered his mouth to stifle a gasp, not wanting to wake whatever it was that sat resting in where the altar was supposed to be.

Instead of the altar, there was what looked like the first beast they faced. The same twisted horns, the same messy and blood stained fur that was evidence to a killing of some kind. The only thing that was different was the fire that seemed to glow under the flesh of the beast, embers glowing brightly in the darkness of the room.

"What's happening?" He asks himself, trying to piece together what was happening.

"This can't be real, none of this can be." He shakes his head. "It's a nightmare, I have to be in a nightmare!" He says loudly, trying to convince himself.

As he tries to piece together what was happeing he hears something shift loudly. He looks up in shock, seeing the creature from the large altar begin to move. The old bones that must hae gone unused for years creaking and snapping loudly as the creature rises from it's place of rest. He feels his limbs lock up as the beast screeches loudly, holding it's head and reaching out for him.

It stomps over to him, the air around him growing hotter and hotter. He finds it hard to breathe in, taking in gasping breaths.

He tries to move away to back up, to get away and buy himself enough time to do something, to make a plan. He finds himself unable to move, looking up as the creature gives him a feral smile; raising it's fist up.

As it brings it claws down on him, where he had expected blinding pain a numbing darkness had replaced.

 **-HotN-**

"Mister Deku!"

His eyes snap open, and he shoots up immediately regretting it. He lets out a yell of pain and forces himself to slowly lower himself back to the ground. He groans as all the pain comes in waves, the only thing keeping him from passing out again is the young girl sitting next to him with watering eyes.

"V-Victoria? What are you doing here?" He asks, watching her wipe her eyes as he starts to sit back up again.

"The bell rang Mister Deku! A-And then the sky started to turn dark, and I-I saw it was coming from the cathedral! I-I thought you were hurt, and I ran over here. I found you lying here, and you weren't waking up..." She looks down. "I thought you..."

"N-No, I'm fine." He gives her a weak smile. "I'm sorry I scared you, I just needed a little bit of rest. Don't worry I'm fine now." A white lie, he was _not_ fine. Between the pain coursing through his body and his mind still trying to focus on the reaiity in front of him, he was not fine.

He groans as he slowly gets to his feet, his body shooting pins and needles of pain and punishment and begging him to rest. He makes sure to put all of his weight on his left leg, trying not to further strain it.

Oh if Recovery Girl could see him now, she'd have a fit. She'd probably give him a scolding before treating him.

"Mister Deku, you're hurt! You shouldn't move, you might-"

"I'll be fine." He nods to her. "Let's just get to the chapel, and if it makes you feel better I'll rest when we get there."

She looks at him for a moment before nodding, she gingerly takes his hand and walks forward slowly. She saw his leg, how it looked all smashed up, how he kept leaning on his left side.

Izuku stays quiet as his mind darts between one thought to another. Going back to his mother's terrifying tranformation, to the large fiery beast, to focusing on staying on his feet. While he focuses on his thoughts he doesn't see the concerned look of the little girl.

He doesn't snap out of his thought until he hears the scared gasp of Victoria and the low moan of one of the black garbed creatures. It turns towards them and points at them, beginning to walk forward.

"M-Mister Deku." She mutters, clinging tightly to his hand. She gasps when he lifts her up and takes a step back, watching him narrow his eyes and grit his teeth.

"Victoria I need you to hang on tight okay? If I fall down and I can't get back up you need to run to the chapel okay?" He asks her, grunting his green lighting sparks around his injured body and red lines faintly decorate his pale skin.

"What are you going to do?" She asks, doing as he said and clinging on to him tightly. She frowns when he doesn't answer and merely watches the beast run forward with his crucifix raised in the air.

"Mister Deku, h-he's-" She was cut off when he suddenly darted forward, wind rushing past them. She yelps and hangs on even tighter, watching as they race past many beasts that realize their presence and tires to attack him. She doesn't see the pained expression Izuku wears or hear the cracking of bones.

Izuku breathes in a sigh of relief as he sees the small chapel from the top of the stairs.

 _We got here pretty quick, but I'm starting to push it. I think One For All might just hold out long enough to-_

His thoughts were cut off as he felt his quirk disappear, he screamed as his legs buckles; feeling something in his right leg break further. He wraps his arms around her tightly as they tumble down the stairs, trying to make sure she receives no injuries. He grunts as they hit the ground, rolling forward a bit.

He gasps as another creature walks forward, a sharpened walking stick in it's hand.

 _Dammit, dammit I can't move!_

"Victoria run!" He yells, letting her go and pushing her forward.

"But Mister Deku-"

"Go!" He yells, rolling out of the way as the stick strikes the stone ground. He watches her run away to the safety of the chapel.

He tries to use whatever is left of his strength to back away, desperately trying to drag himself to the safe haven.

He yells in pain as the weapon drives itself into his shoulder, cutting through muscle and spilling hot blood. He feels it ripping out of his body, leaving him gasping in pain.

 _Why don't you just die? You'd be fine, you'd come back._

He desperately drags him closer and closer to the chapel with his left arm.

 _Because I don't want to die!_

He flinches as he hears a loud gunshot and that strange noise. Before he could look up he feels someone drag him to his feet, half carrying him and rushing to the chapel. He grunts as he hlaf lowered, hald dropped to the ground, hearing panting beside him.

"You're a lot heavier than you look Midoriya." A cool voice speaks, chuckling when it hears a small sob of relief.

"M-Mister Todoroki!" Victoria says, running over from the other entrance of the chapel.

"H-Hey Todoroki..." Izuku mumbles, wiping away a few tears and rolling onto his back.

"Midoriya what happened to you, and where if your coat?" He asks, helping the greenette sit up. "And why was Victoria with you?"

"I- ran out of blood vials and, my coat got ripped up by winds and..." He trails off, coughing up a bit of blood midsentence.

"Winds? What do, oh. Your quirk?" He asks, getting a nod in return. "But why was-"

"I went to find him! I told him I was going to look for him if he didn't come back with the next bell ring. He didn't come back, then the sky became dark. When he still hadn't come back I went to find him, and he was on the ground in the Grand Cathedral!" Victoria sees the dual haired boy shoot a look to his friend. "He wasn't waking up..."

"Midoriya..."

"I thought I'd be back by then." He answers, grunting as he tries to get to his feet. Shouto tries to get him to sit but figures he'd learn and sit back down after a few minutes on his feet.

"You overused your quirk." Shouto tells him, letting go of Izuku when he pats his arm. He reaches into his bag and grabs three vials.

"I did, but- Todoroki! You don't have to give me your blood vials, it's okay. Once I go back to the Dream I can-"

"Deku!" They all look up when a loud voice echoes throughout the chapel. An angry blonde stomps through the chapel towards the other two hunters.

"So damn loud." The old woman grumbles.

"K-Kacchan? Hey, wha-" Izuku didn't have enough time to react as a fist slammed into his face, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud. He groans in pain, holding his bruised cheek as he feels his childhood friend roughly grab his arm and forcibly drag him to his feet.

"Bakugo!" Shouto yells, about to separate the two until he feels a small hand grab his. He looks down, seeing the scared face of the little girl.

"Why is Mister Kacchan..."

"Deku you worthless fuck-up! Do you realize what you've fucking done!" He yells, punching the poor teen again when he doesn't get an answer.

Izuku cough and spits out a bit of blood, looking up. "What are you...talking about?"

"You!" He drags the dizzy teen outside and forces him to look up to the sky. "Fucking did this!"

"What are you talking about?" Izuku mumbles, grunting as he's forced back inside, still gathering himself.

"The person I talked to over in the forest, said that as soon as someone brought on night it was the start of the end. I talked to Icyhot before we split up to look for the brat, and he sure as hell didn't see anything! And the damn crow lady said it probably came from the Grand Cathedral. So I'm going ot ask again you idiot, what did you fucking do?" He sees Izuku flinch as hot smoke begins to come from the hand that holds his arm.

"Bakugo that is enough!" Shouto takes his hand from Victoria, feeling his left grow hot and his right cold. He takes a step forward, giving a warning glare to the explosive teen.

"Stay out of it-"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Izuku says simply, grabbing Katsuki's wrist tightly.

"Deku-"

"Shut _up_ Kacchan!" He yells, silencing the whole room. He doesn't realize he's begun trembling.

"Why do you insist that whatever happened was _my_ fault? I didn't do anything!" He yells, seeing an irritated look cross Katsuki's features. "I don't even know how I would have done that!" He points outside. Searching his mind for anything that could he saw that could be a clue.

"Well somehow you did fucker! Because it had to be triggered by _someone_!"

"How do you it wasn't you who did it Katsuki." Izuku snaps, earning another hard punch to the face. He almost falls to the ground, but forces himself to keep his feet planted and his grip on Katsuki's wrist tight.

Shoto growls as he steps forward, putting a ice covered hand on Izzuku's uninjured shoulder and his flame licked hand on Katsuki's arm. "That is enough!"

"Wow, now _that_ really upset you didn't it?" Izuku grins. "Was it because I called you Katsuki or because I actually made you think about the possibility of something actually being your fault!" He yells, feeling something in him snap.

"I am going to kick you ass Deku!"

"Go ahead _Katsuki_! Nothing has stopped you before!" He feels a manic grin cross his features.

"Shut your fucking mouth Deku."

Shouto shoots a look to Katsuki. "Excuse me?"

"You know what Katsuki, I wanna know..." Izuku feels himself shaking, the manic grin disappearing. "Why! Why are you so..." He shakes his head, trying to find words in the struggle of his exhaustion and rage.

"Why am I what Deku?" Katsuki growls.

Shouto's grip tightens on the two, a bit of frost spreading across Izuku's shoulders; the flames beginning to burn Katsuki's sleeves.

"Why are you such a dick!" He yells. "What have I ever done to you, to warrant such hate towards me you temperamental brat!" He screams, looking up to the taller boy and receiving another punch that actually knocks him down.

He coughs and looks up, anger burning in his green eyes. He quickly gets to his feet, trying to summon his quirk. He only has a hollow feeling in his chest, fine. No quirk it is then.

His breathing is raggedy as he gets to his feet and draws back his fist, ready to punch Katsuki's lights out, injured or not.

 _Stop!_ He feels himself freeze, glaring into Katsuki's red eyes.

Something was wrong, why was he so angry? Why was he taking satisfaction in pissing Kacchan off? Why was he so ready to beat his friend into the ground?

He felt that something in him snap, what was it? His temper? Something else?

He grits his teeth, he shouldn't do this. He shouldn't be feeling this way, why can't he just think rationally?

He _is_. Isn't he?

"What's wrong Deku, lose your nerve?" Katsuki grins, he figured the green coward would chicken out last minute. Remember his place.

"Midoriya." Shouto watches him, seeing him shake violently as tears begin to prick at his eyes. Were they tears of anger? Or something else?

Neither of them expected him to whirl around and punch the wall, hearing something crack loudly and feeling the building shake. A bit of blood staining his knuckles. They watched him shake his head and turn away fom them, pathetically limping away and nursing his hand.

"Fucking pathetic." Katsuki mutters, watching him limp away the way he came. He huffs and walks out the other entrance, where he had disposed of the lantern bearers earlier. He stalks off near the graves, feeling irriated.

Shouto tries to approach Izuku, only to receive a shaking head and a refusal of words. He lets the boy be, deciding instead to confront Katsuki.

"Bakugo." Shouto says, waching the blond shatter a few graves with a harsh kick.

"What!" He growls, looking over to the dual haired boy.

"What did Midoriya mean when he said 'it hasn't stopped you before'?" He asks, his voice low.

"What does it matter to you Icyhot?" Katsuki scowls. He rolls his eyes when the sound of a frustrated scream echoes from the courtyard above them.

"It matters to me because Midoriya is my friend. Don't think I didn't notice that you dodged the question when he asked why you act the way you do. Why don't you just answer it Bakugo?" He meets the red eyed glare.

Katsuki scowls not saying anything.

"Are you afraid to admit something?" He asks.

"The fuck did you just say Icyhot!" Katsuki yells, explosions going off from his palms. He marches up to Shouto and grabs him by the collar.

Shouto listens to the threats and swears of the blond, neither him or the angry teen taking notice of the greennette looking down at them from the courtyard.

Izuku watches them from above, sighing and rubbing his eyes. He leans against the railing, feeling tired and worn out. Both body and mind exhausted and craving rest.

As he starts to walk away he feels a shift, a dark eerie change. His eyes dart to the dark vortex that swirls and churns endlessly, willing to consume anything in it's path. His mind goes blank for a moment before darting back to the railing. He sees the other two still talking, scowls on their faces.

"Todoroki! Kacchan! Get out of the way!" He screams, his panicked voice echoing loudly.

"What?" Katsuki looks up to the scared face of Izuku before registering the vortex that came to consume both Shouto and he.

"Oh shit!" As they both are about to attempt to get away the vortex seems to lunge forward, claws gripping them tightly.

They yell loudly, trying to struggle against the strange force that keeps them hovering in midair. They both hear Izuku yelling their names.

Shouto was the first to look at the panicking nerd, seeing him trying to draw on his quirk and make attempt to save them. His eyes widen when he sees a tall, lanky hooded creature carrying a large sack creeping up behind the desperate boy.

"Midoriya look out!" He yells, seeing the boy freeze then whirl around.

Izuku turned around to look at what he had been warned of.

He felt the cold stone ground before he felt the blinding pain that followed the punch he had been given. He hears someone yelling, was it him or one of the other two?

He struggles to get to his feet, forgetting where he was for a moment. He looks up, the air knocked from his lungs as he was kicked to the ground, rolling away and crashing into what is now a broken bench.

"Msiter Deku!" Victoria screams, running out into the open. Stopping and looking up when she sees the other two being held in midair, yelling in pain.

"What the hell..." Katsuki mutters, staring straight ahead. His mind seems to be conflicting with itself, trying to process what was or wasn't there. He thinks he sees a large, translucent beast that hangs off of the chapel. It has it's head tilted, as if observing and deciding something. Then his vision changes to seeing nothing there, yet feeling a tight grip that makes both him and Icyhot scream in pain as it squeezes them.

Katsuki looks down, barely able to keep his eyes open as the air is squeezed from his lungs. He sees the frightened little girl, shaking and in a conflict. Whether to run inside and hide or make an attempt to save any of them.

He sees Deku getting his assed kicked by the strange beast that seemed to appear out of nowhere. He hears Icyhot scream something, only to get cut off as the air around them changed. Something shifted, a darkness began to surround them as they were crushed. Both he and Shouto being swallowed by a churning darkness, he hears a yell from someone or something before everything goes black.

"Victoria! No! Get back!" Izuku yells before he's kicked into the ground once more. He coughs as he feels something in his chest crack, probably a broken rib. He watches the little girl run to the side of the railing grabbing a small pebble and throwing it at the beast, grabbing it's attention.

"Leave him alone!" She yells, making herself stand her ground. She gets into a sloppy fighting pose, trying to put on a brave face. A weak smile on her face.

 _I'm going to find you!_

Not a suggestion, but a promise.

It growls as it begins to stalk towards her, breaking apart her burst of sudden courage with each step. She begins to back up, keeping her weak little fists up as she hears a yell from inside the chapel.

"Victoria! Run away!" Izuku screams, reaching for his weapon. Only to find he has none, both of them in the Grand Cathedral. One shattered to pieces and the other probably lying at the foot of the altar. All he has is his gun, and compared to everything else it's just a peashooter.

Better than nothing.

He struggles to his feet, a tight grip of the blunderbuss in his left hand. He feels hot tears sting his eyes, why was he crying?

He shook his head and put a big smile on his face.

"Victoria get down!" He yells, seeing the girl's eyes dart towards him and nod. Obeying and ducking down as a click is heard and the explosive sound of scattered bullets fill the air. Many of them piercing into the flesh of the beast, making it stagger for a moment. It regains it's balance and tuns to the boy, a low growl rumbling from it's throat.

Izuku throws his blunderbuss to the side, his hands balled up in fists.

"You get the hell away from her." He growls.

Before the little girl could yell in protest she's grabbed the old woman and dragged inside kicking and screaming.

"No! Mister Deku dont-" A sob breaks her protest as she sees a dark aura surround the beast as he lunges forward. She can't bring herself to look away as Mister Deku is grabbed by his neck and slammed repeatedly into the ground. He still makes an attempt to fight, weakly clawing at the hand closed around his neck. Trying to blink away the dark spots that dance wildly in his vision.

"There's nothing you can do girl." The old woman mutters, setting the girl down.

She stands there in silence watching as the limp body was thrown into the large wagon carrying coffins. The only indication he was alive was the very slow rise and fall of his chest.

 _Get Miss Eileen_

 _Get Miss Eileen!_

She couldn't move a muscle, she could only watch as the beast pick the boy up by his neck once more. Inspecting him, giving a growl when he weakly opens his eyes.

He looks to the side, exhausted green orbs meeting teary blue ones.

He manages to give her one more weak smile.

 _It's going to be okay_

He was slammed into the ground one more time. This time he didn't open his eyes, whether he he was dead or not it was hard to tell.

Neither her or the old lady said anything as the battered and broken body was dragged away.

The only sound that cut through the thick silence were the sobs of the little girl.

She could have done more, right?

She could have saved him...

No.

She was a little girl.

What could she have possbily done?

 **-HotN-**

 **Hello everybody!**

 **Hope yall enjoyed that chapter!**

 **I had been planning this chapter for the longest time, wowie!** **I finally did it!**

 **Huzzah!**

 **I also wanted to get this chapter out real quick since there's the possbility of me not posting another for a while due to me visiting family and a CERTAIN LOSER is getting sick. (me)**

 **Fun fact, while writing this I was mostly listening to songs by Steampianist, mostly Popopo and Rust. If you haven't heard them then I highly recommend listening to them!**

 **Anyway, that's enough of me blabbering.** **I hope everyone has a great day/night!**

 **P.S I don't own Bloodborne or MHA**


	13. Cahpter 13: A Hidden Village

**A** **Hidden Village**

When he managed to open his eyes, all he could make out were dull lights and a brown haze. Rough, itchy material rubbed against his raw skin, making him cringe in discomfort. He tries to will his body to move, finding himself unable to.

He just wanted to rest, despite a loud voice in the back of his mind screaming at him to stay conscious, to fight back.

He felt himself begin to slip back into a shallow slumber, his body giving in to it's injuries once again.

When he managed to shake himself from sleep once again he felt himself being jumped onto a cold stone ground. He grunted in pain, feeling himself curl up instinctively, knowing he couldn't do anything to help himself.

He heard a low growl, then stomping footsteps. He was able to see the tall, lanky, hooded brute slowly walking away through half-lidded eyes. He then heard a creak, then a loud slam that made him involuntarily flinch. He listened to the beast walk away, the ragged breathing and heavy footsteps sent chills down his spine.

It wasn't until a moment later that the footsteps faded away, leaving him alone. Silence.

He wanted to get up, to scramble after whatever had brought him here. Find a way out...

As much as he wanted to lift himself off the ground, he couldn't. His tired body refused to respond to his mental commands, instead sending waves of pain throughout his body. Demanding he lay on the ground, stay where he is.

He makes an attempt to sit up, feeling his bones creaking under his weight. He gasps in pain as his arms give away, making him fall back. His head slams against the stone floor, sending raging stars dancing in his vision.

He closes his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Only succeeding in making the stars far more vibrant.

It takes what feels like ages, but the stars finaly stop. Leaving only an awful ache in his head.

Even though he was lying down, he felt the world around him spun violently around him. If he tried to open his eyes, his headache would only worsen as he was met with the a swirling world.

As he tries to come up with some kind of plan to get up, to push through the pain and escape; he feels himself starting to fade away into the depths of unconsciousness. He tries to keep himself awake, knowing that if he were to stay where he was he might not survive the next encounter.

No matter how much he keep himself awake he slips away again. Losing consciousness once more.

 **-HotN-**

Izuku wasn't aware of how much time had passed, whether it had been hours or even days since he was dumped into this dark, cold cell. He would hear the occasional stomping that would set him on edge, but the loud footsteps never seemed to come near him. Always passing by.

With the fear of dying, and the inability to move in his current state he thoughts were left to wander.

They started off innocent enough. Concern, worry, fear.

How long had he been awake?

How long has he been away from the Ward?

Where were Kacchan and Todoroki? Were they okay?

What happened to them?

What if they needed help?

No, no they were okay. It was Kacchan and Todoroki...they had to be okay.

They were certainly more capable than he was, he was pretty sure they weren't in the pitiful state he was in. They probably had blood vials, and they had their weapons. They might find a lantern and get out of whatever hell they might be in.

 _Would they look for me?_

His thoughts came to a screeching stop at that question.

Didn't mean they wouldn't turn into a darker place before long.

Would they look for him?

He wanted to scoff at the idea.

They certainly had better things to do than look for him, finding a way home, or getting out of their own situation.

He feels a frown cross his features as he thinks more on that.

Of course, of course they wouldn't look for him. He got himself into this situation, he should be the one to get himself out of it. Not that Kacchan would even think about rescuing him, in all honesty he'd probably just vouch to leave him be.

 _No he wouldn't, you know he wouldn't. Kacchan may act like an asshole, but that doesn't mean he'd actually leave you to die..._

 _You sure about that? He wanted to leave you half dead with that mock battle._

 _Todoroki would look for me..._

 _No, no he wouldn't._

 _Yes, he would._

 _He has to deal with **Katsuki** , he has to deal with the beasts. He probably wouldn't even give you a second thought._

 _Don't say that..._

 _He has to figure out what the hell happened, how and why everything changed to nighttime. He has to help Katsuki, clean up your fucking mess. How you managed to fuck up the passage of time is fucking phenomenal! You really think that even Todoroki would want to spend his time trying to track your worthless ass down and save you?_

 _Stop!_

 _Can't think of a decent argument?_

 _Stop!_

 _Of course you can't, becuase you know it's true. You know I'm right._

 _You're wrong!_

 _Am I?_

 _Yes!_

 _No, no I'm not. You know they would leave you for dead, not even give you a second thought. Why don't you do the same to them?_

 _What?_

 _Find them, put them in the same state as you, beat them into the ground. Wouldn't it feel so satisfying to feel their blood run down you hands, especially Kacchan's?_

 _Maybe...wait._

 _Wouldn't it feel nice to repay him for beating you down all those time? When you were children? Whenever you had the audacity to claim you wanted to be a hero? All those burns and scars that litter your body to this day? Pay them back in kind._

 _No...No that wouldn't be right._

 _Wouldn't it though? Make him feel all the pain that you've felt over ten years. Watch him writhe in agony, as you break every single one of his bones slowly and painfully. Listen to his screams as you burn him with the same viciousness and intensity he did whenever he would use his quirk on you._

 _No, no I don't want to do that_!

 _Yes you do, don't lie. You've wanted to make him feel you pain for the longest time, to make him beg and plead for it all to stop like you had for so many years. Justy try, to imagine it. His hot blood running plattering against your face, his wounds dying his blond hair into a lovely shade of crimson._

 _His once proud demeanor shattered underneath your fists, make him cower and tremble in fear like you. Make him-_

"Stop!" He screams, forcing his thoughts down. Pushing them down, deep deep down where they didn't need to be found. Halting his mind, he didn't need to be thinking like this.

 _Calm down, calm down. You're letting it happen again. You can't let that happen again._

He made himself remember his conversation with Eileen, or rather her threat. He can't let himself slip away that easily, he has to keep a reign on himself.

"How did this...no... _When_ did this happen?" He mutters to himself, trying to figure out when these thoughts started. When did his mind start turning into a darker place, where all he wanted to do was inflict pain upon others and make them suffer in the worst way possible?

As he was about to go on one of his muttering tangents again he stopped himself.

No, not here. Not now. He can't get lost in thought now. Right now he has to focus on getting out of this place, that's it. That's all he should be worrying about for now.

He absentmindedly reaches in his bag for vials he knows aren't there. Just desperate for something that could relieve his pain in some kind of way. He feels the soft, yet sturdy cloth of the church garb he found what felt like ages ago. He slowly pulls it out of the the bag, ignoring waves of pain radiating throughout his body as he sits up.

As he tugs the rest of the garb out he hears a small clatter of glass against stone. He quickly looks over and sees three blood vials slowly rolling to a stop near the edge of the cell.

"The three blood vials..." He whispers, remembering the vials that Todoroi had offered him, yet he refused. "He must have slipped them into my bag when I wasn't paying attention." He painfully reaches over. Grabbing two of the vials and readies one of them with shaky hands.

He quickly stabs himself in the leg, grunting from the sharp pain; then finding himself sighing in relief. He grits his teeth as he feels his bones slowly set themselves right, and feeling flesh sew together. After a moment or so the healing stops, his bones are still in a fragile state. They may be placed correctly, but they're still fragile as they are. And the deep lacerations could reopen if strained enough.

He grunted as he stabbed himself in the leg once again, feeling the lukewarm blood flow through his veins and spread to his injuries. Feeling his bones adjust and mend themselves. The somewhat healed lacertations now fully closed. They were still a bit tender, and would cause pain if strained in the wrong way.

Most of the pain was gone, all that was left was the slight painful throbbing in his head. His mucles still felt sore, nothing he hasn't dealt with before.

He smiles to himself. "Thank you Todoroki..."

He huffs as he stands up, picking up the final blood vial. and putting it into his bag. He feels much better, not fully recovered, but better. He huffs as he grabs the garb and puts it on. It wasn't too comfortable, but it was wam and it provided some kind of protection.

Alright..." He mutters, pushing his hair out of his face. He looks around for anything to use as a weapon, remembering how he foolishly left the gun and the cane back in the Ward, not to mention that his trusty saw spear was shattered into pieces. He scans the room again and again, frowning when he doesn't find anything he can use. That's all right, he still has One For All, he just had to choose carefully when and how to use it.

"Maybe I can find something to use out there...but how am I supposed to get out?" He wonders aloud, walking over to the closed door of the cell. He puts a hand around one of the bars, he decided to give it a tug, may as well try.

Much to his surprise the door swung open, creaking painfully loud; making him cringe for a moment.

Okay, that answered one questioned. Now he was out, now he had to figure something else out.

Where the hell is he, and how is he going to get out?

He bites his lip as he creeps around the room, eyes darting around and ears straining to catch any kind of sound that could indicate that creature is near. The room is much darker than the cell, and colder. A tense silence.

He sticks to to the wall made of rusted bars that created the space that he had been trapped in for only god knows how long. He shuffles along the side of the room, grunting as he bumps into a stone statue, grabbing onto it and keeping his balance.

"Really dark..." Izuku mutters as he goes around, squinting in the dark. He looks around the room for a moment, seeing a few lanterns in the next room. He walks forward quickly, passing a pillar and rounding a corner to another room full of pillars and vases. There was a few privacy screens here and there, there was one wrapped in cloth and rope for some reason. In front of the cloth covered furniture there was a bloody, rotting body lying on the floor. On the other side of the covered screen there was a set of stairs heading downwards.

He gags from the horrid stench as he looks around, looking for anything to use to defend himself for a moment before he makes he way to the stairs. He can't stay in one place for too long, something might come for him sooner or later and he'd rather not be there if that thing came back.

As he was about to head towards the stairs he hears a loud moan from the corner of the room, catching his attention. He turns towards the source of the noise, looking down and seeing a Messenger waving him over. He stands there for a moment, watching the small creature pull out a piece of paper and wave it's arms faster.

Izuku looks around for a moment before walking over, kneeling down and watching the Messenger unroll the paper and hold it up.

 _Madmen toil surreptitiously in rituals to beckon the moon. Uncover their secrets._

"Madmen...the moon?" He gently takes the paper from the Messenger that disappears into the ground, keaving the boy alone with this new scrap of paper.

 _What is so special about the moon? Especially to work in such secrecy just to summon it..._

He thinks it over for a moment, trying to piece a few things together before he hears a noise.

He tenses for a moment, looking around and turning around. It's not loud, stomping footsteps that indicate the kidnapper. Instead he hears what seems to be faint sobs and whimpers, echoing from below. It was quiet enough for something so faint and quiet to echo throughout the area.

 _There's someone else here?!_

He looks towards the stairs that lead downwards, shoving the paper in his back before climbing over the railing and dropping down. He makes his way down the last half of the stairs, reaching another platform that has another set of stairs leading further downwards.

He makes his way down the stairs, to an open area. A bunch of collumns, a few vases here and there, as well as the strange statue he bumped into earlier. An exact copy.

He stepped around it, walking slowly towards the quiet sobs. He walks forward, squinting his eyes to see in the dark. He heard a gasp as he accidentally knocked over a vase. The lid shattering upon impact of the ground as he catches the rest of it.

He hears a gasp.

"Please, leave me be...don't take me...please...oh please, dear gods."

He places the vase back where it should be. He hears the muttering of the startled woman, slowly making his way towards her.

"Oh, merciful gods, help me. In the name of the Healing Church, cleanse us of this horrible dream..."

"Hello?" He calls out, hearing another gasp and someone shuffling. He walk forward a bit more to see a few more vases and another wrapped up piece of furniture.

He steps around the vases to see a woman, dressed in black pressed against the wall covering her mouth. She looked terrified, trembling terribly.

"Ma'am, a-are you okay?" Izuku steps forward a bit, stepping back again when he sees her flinch.

They stared at each other for a moment before the woman gasped softly.

"Ahh, by your garb...the Healing Church..." A relieved smile reaches her face as she slowly gets to her feet.

"You've come to save me! Oh thank you dear saint!" She steps forward.

"Uh, y-your welcome." He was taken aback by the sudden change in her attitude.

"I have no words to express my relief...oh." She pulls out something from her sleeve. Holding it out to the boy. "You could take this at least. It's sure to please an upstanding member of the church like you."

Izuku looks to the item being handed to him, slowly taking it in his hands. It's another glowing skull, similar to the one Todoroki found earlier in Central Yharnam.

"Oh, thank you..." He puts it into his bag, and looks back to the nun in front of him.

"So, how did you get here?" He asks, looking around again to make sure there wasn't anything in the room with them. He can't help but feel awfully paranoid.

She looks down for a moment, seeming to go through her memories before looking to him again.

"I was seized on the street by a hulking brute in the Cathedral Ward and locked up here. There were many others, but they've been taken away..."

Izuku looks at her. "Taken away?" He asks. "Do you know to where?"

 _Maybe there's a way to save them?_

She nods. "And I've heard moans, echoes in the distance, ever since."

Izuku puts a hand to his chin. "How likely is it that they're alive?" He mutters, looking to the side. "And what exactly happened to them where they were taken? Maybe they've been killed by the beasts..."

"Beasts? So, the hunt is on tonight?" She asks, biting her lip as the boy nods. "Then the streets are perilous...and every door will be shut tight..." She looks down, eyes full of worry.

"There's-"

"Perhaps it isn't my place to ask, but...do you know somewhere that might take me in?" She asks, looking to him for hope. Silently praying that he has some kind of safe haven she can stay at.

"Actually yes, I know a place you can stay. The chapel in the Cathedral Ward is actually a safe place. There's a few other people staying there right now actually. The Chapel Dweller watches over the place, making sure there's incense burning." Izuku answers, smiling when he sees her face light up.

"Oh, thank you so much. I'll set out as soon as I can." She nods, a new determination filling her.

"Are you sure you can get there on your own?" He asks. "There are probably beasts out there, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

She smiles and nods.

"Yes, I am sure. I'll find my way out. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your hunt. I pray for success on your hunt, kind hunter." She reassures him. Nodding a moment before brushing herself off and running off into the darkness, leaving the boy alone.

"Please get there safe." He mutters, hearing the footsteps fading quickly.

He waits for a moment before sighing softly, alright time to get moving.

He huffs before turning back to the way he came. Walking forward as he took a moment to think on what the woman had told him.

 _There were many others...just how many people were kidnapped? And what happened to them? She said she heard moans after they had been taken..._

He tapped his chin as he climbed the stairs and walked through the room where he had first heard the soft weeping of the nun. He stepped around the wrapped up furniture and walked forward, looking around. There wasn't a single creature in the room save for him.

He made his way into the other room that held the cell he had woken up in, scanning the dark room for anything that he could use as a weapon. Even if it was a fragile weapon, it would give him an edge, and give him the ability to keep a bit of distance from the beasts he fought with. Getting in close was dangerous, and he could only use his quirk for a limited time. Simply put, it was all risky and he might just be shit out of luck.

As he walked through the room be started approaching another doorway. His dark adjusted eyes see what looks like a tall pillar, it's been carved out in arious places. Very ornate.

He looked around the room to see if there was anything else to explore, any way to get out. There had to be, how else would that woman have gotten out...if she had even taken this way.

He stepped inside, eyes scanning around and seeing there's more to the room. He bites his lip and hesitantly creeps around the pillar, looking around for anything that could jump out at him, or might be waiting for him. After a few steps he saw a set of stairs heading upwards, curving with the giant pillar.

He slowly makes his way up the stairs, biting his lip and waiting for what may be ahead. He feels a chill run up his spine as he climbs the stairs, a feeling of dread growing more and more as he climbs ever higher.

He sighs as he makes it to the stop of the stairs, a bit more light in the area. To the side of another staircase parallel to the one Izuku just came up, there's another one heading further upwards. Off to the side of the staircase, there's a doorway with a small set of stairs leading downwards.

He looks around a bit before turning towards the doorway. A way out maybe?

He hesitantly makes his way downwards. Taking each step slowly, feeling the worn stone ground crumbling a bit under his feet with each step he takes. As he makes it halfway down the stairs he hears a soft cackle and sees something dart past the doorway, making him freeze in his tracks.

 _What the..._

Izuku narrows his eyes as he hears soft whispers, it sounded mostly like gibberish to him. He kept his eyes trained on the entrance of the next room, eyes widening when he briefly sees a hand reach around the wall. Boney and shriveled up, gripping tightly onto the carved pillar, leaving a few scratch marks on the worn stone. He sees a head slowly creep around the corner, long, greasy hair hanged over a shrveled up face of some pale, sickly looking woman hunched over. An errie smile reaches her lips as she stares him dead in the eye.

 _Oh...Oh no..._

He would have considered going forward, but he remembered he had no way to defend himself. His fists wouldn't be enough, not to mention he had a sinking feeling that there was something else waiting for him down there.

He slowly backed away, watching the lady's face slowly turn into an angry scowl as he backed away. She muttered something quiet and incomprehensible and slinked back to the side of the door she was previously hiding behind.

He didn't dare turn his back to the dark room down below, yet keeping himself braced in case he had to turn around and make a quick dash. He made a mental note to try and go back down there when he was better prepared. As dreadful the room was, he couldn't help but sense something there. Soemthing that begged to be found, something that _needed_ to be found.

Once he was back at the top of the stairs, and in the area with the large pillar. Much to his relief, the withered hag didn't follow him or even make any kind of indication she was going to. He made the ocasional glance down the stairs as he debated which side of the next set up stairs to take. Both go upwards, and both peobably leady to the same location.

 _Right, left, right left..._

He heard the loud clatter of a glass bottle hitting the ground from a distance and a loud stomping footstep that echoed everywhere, it made him jump in surprise.

 _Fuck it, right!_

Izuku darted forward to the right, taking that set of stairs. He tried his best to keep his frantic, slightly panicked footsteps as quiet as he could. Not wanting to give any indication where he was.

As he climbed the stairs he saw that they led to yet another room. He wasn't even in the room yet, but he could already tell it was relatively large. He reached the top of the stairs, looking straight ahead he sees his assumptions of the other set of stairs leading to the same place was correct.

One glance to the side and he saw yet another set of stairs leading upwards, to some kind of platform. He was about to step forward, to make his way to the set of stairs across the way when he saw the hooded beast; stalking down the stairs.

He quickly backed down the stairs and covered his mouth to avoid letting free a string of obscene words that would put Katsuki's mouth to shame. He had wanted to scream in a mixture of fear and surprise.

There _was_ another one fucking walking around like it owns the damn place!

He stopped for a minute, well...technically this is probably where the beast lives. So it _does_ own the fucking place.

He scowls behind his hands before taking a deep breath and putting his hands down. He has to stay calm, he can't go into a blind panic. If that thing had seen him, it probably would have come after him by now, it's not the kind of creature to just let it's prey/prisoner go.

He sighed and grit his teeth, slowly creeping back up the stairs and quickly scanning the area for where the beast was. It wasn't on the stairs anymore, and thank god it wasn't in front of him. He heard no footsteps, setting him on edge a bit. It either meant the beast _did_ see him and was waiting for him so it could ambush the greenette; or it had left to another location to rest.

Considering his streak of luck recently...he would rather remain paranoid.

He slowly made his way further up the stairs, looking around again and again until his eyes landed on two large figures in the middle of the room. They were facing each other in complete and utter silence. One of them had blood staining it's clothes, clearly aged and dried up.

 _Oh fuck me..._

Two...there were two of these fuckers! He saw that there was a doorway far behind them, and considering his ever worsening luck...the way out was that way. He shook his head and grit his teeth, he has to get moving. There's no time to mope around and curse his luck to the end of eternity. He has to get out, and find Todoroki and Kacchan.

If he was fast enough he could dash past those two, and probably get away without doing much but cause a small bout of confusion. He narrowed his eyes as he went over different routes to take. Straight ahead and maybe stun them? Stick to the wall and try to blend into the shadows; but that could end badly. If they spotted him and he if he wasn't able to move fast enough, they could pin him down and rip him apart.

Straight ahead or stick to the sides?

He slowly crept forward, going around the railing to the stairs and slowly shuffling to the side. Izuku tries his best to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible, flinching whenever he thought they had moved in the slightest. He felt all of his muscles tense up as accidentally kicked a small rock across the room. The clattering of stone against stone echoing deafeningly in the large room. He bit his lip as one of them looked up towards the source of the noise; as the rock clattered to it's feet.

 _Please no, please no, please no..._

He mentally begged as the beast looked around the room, praying he was far enough in the shadows to not be seen. He stood as still as he could, watching the beast take a step forward and stare in his direction. He tries to keep his breathing as quiet as possible, making an attempt to keep any attention off of him.

After what had felt like a million years the beast finally turned away, losing interest and seeing nothing to catch it's eye. It bowed it's head slowly, presumably resting.

It could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours before Izuku breathed a tiny sigh of relief. His hearth loudly thumped in his chest, practically feling the blood rush through his body. He slowly took one step forward, then another, and another. Once again making his way across the room along the side, keeping any noise he could possibly make to a minimum.

He kept looking over his shoulder, making sure the kidnapper wasn't stalkng him or watching him. Waiting to pounce. Thankfully by the time he reached the entrance it hadn't moved a bit, keeping to itself.

He steps outside, cool, silent air hitting his sweat soaked face. He wipes the sweat off his brow, looking around. The sky was still dark, a full moon shining over the dark city.

He walks forward, putting a hand on the cool stone railing. He shivers a bit as a small chill runs up his spine. His eyes look over the stairs that lead downwards to who knows where. Then looking over to the left where there's so much more to explore. There's yet another set of stairs that lead upwards, and another path that just goes down. PRobably doesn't go very far if he had to guess.

He sigh to himself and starts to walk to the left, deciding he'll go down the stairs first. As he rounds the corner he sees a small glint on the ground, in front of the stairs. He stopped for a moment before looking around, making sure there would be nothing to attack him while he investigated the strange glint. He slowly walks over, realizing it's yet another note.

He slowly picks it up and reads it over.

 _Behold, a paleblood sky._

Paleblood? He raises an eyebrow and look upwards. The sky...

What exactly _is_ a Paleblood? What does it mean? A Paleblood sky, but it looks like any other night sky would like. Except maybe a bit darker, it almost looked like the stars were mising...

He swallowed a lump in his throat and stuffed the paper in his bag, a few new questions in his mind. As a few new thoughts to ponder over, something he had been thinking about for a while now. The passage of time in this place, how none of it seemed natural. Night should have set a long time ago, maybe around the time they had fought that first giant beast; the one on the bridge. The setting sun seemed to just stay in place in the sky, and when it _did_ go down the moon was already high in the sky.

It feels like time doesn't exist in this place, not without outside help. Which actually begged the question, does anything in _this_ place exist? A world where blood with strange properties heals anything and everything? People of insanity attacking anyone who seems to have an actual shred of sanity, monsters creeping around every corner that only attack people like him.

It all seemed so impossible it couldn't be real. With every step he took he just expected this twisted reality to shatter under him. With every step it felt like he was closer to that shattering, closer to waking up from this nightmare.

What would happen if he just died, right here and right now? He would wake up at the lamp right? Or would he wake up in his bed, all of it just a bad dream?

He hadn't realized he had gotten lost in throught, standing in place out in the open until he heard loud footsteps and snorting. A moment later he felt a huff of hot, pungent hair on his back. He bit his lip as he slowly turned around. His eyes widened as he saw a giant pig staring him down. Covered in swollen and pus filled welts, sharpened teeth bared and ready to bite him into pieces. To crush his bones and tear apart his flesh, to taste and savor his blood.

His legs started moving before he could think, running away from the oversized swine that had slammed it's head on the ground to try and crush him. He found himself running to the stairs that lead upwards, hearing the large pig chase after him. He dashes up the stairs, hearing the pig slam into the wall behind him. He looks over his shoulder to see the beast shaking off any rubble tha might have fallen on it; looking up to him and barreling towards him once again.

The stone stairs that it's hooves slam against can be heard crumbling in some parts. The old, worn down stairs barely abe to support it's weight.

Izuku looks up ahead and sees a bridge and a small crevice off to the left. The pig would probably be able to cross the bridge, even though it looked pretty narrow. That damn thing would probably find a way to squeeze through. The small crevice though looked too small for it, and it was a railing which means he could drop down and run around it.

He quickly ducked to the left, seeing the pig just barely miss him. It squealed loudly as it ended up running onto the bridge, getting stuck between the narrow railings. It stomped and shook, trying to get itself free.

The boy felt himself chuckle softly as he jumped over the railing, the humor not lasting long as he saw yet _another_ giant pig underneath the bridge.

He was only able to get out a small, terrified, 'oh no' before he fell on top of the pig, startling it and making it squeal loudly. He fell off the giant swine before he could even register what exactly happened, falling onto the ground with a loud 'oof'.

He quickly rolled onto his feet and backed up, hitting a wall. Right next to him was a dead body, most of it's skin peeled and rotted away. On it's lap were three strange, glowing papers that looked awfully familiar. He grabbed them as he saw the boar trying to turn around to him in the narrow alleyway.

As it was struggling to turn, the bridge the first pig is stuck on is starting to crumble underneath it's weight. He sees a bit of the stone start to give way, little pieces flecking off and bouncing harmlessly off the boar that now faces him. Slowly taking one step after the other towards him.

Izuku looks up as he hears a loud crumbling noise, then looking back down to the boar in front of him. A small plan forming in his mind.

He inches to the side a bit, the pig turning it's large head to him and lunging forward as Izuku quickly lept to the other side. A small hole in the wall where he was a minute ago. The building tremlbed He didn't take a single moment to look back as he heard a loud crack above him, hearing the beast above squeal loudly as the ground gave way underneath it.

He bolted out of the alley as he heard a loud crash and multiple squeals from the two boars. It was a narrow alley, hopefully they're pressed against each other enough that neither can move.

 _I wouldn't count on it..._ He thinks pessimistically to himself. Trying to keep all worst case scenarios open, hell he's technically _in_ a worst case scenario.

Alone, no weapon, in a place chock full of monsters. No way to get back so far, either.

Alright, out in the open once again. He looks over back to where the right, where the stairs that lead downwards were. Off to the left was a large carriange off to the side of the road. Past that there was what looked like a dead end. He saw a few silhouettes in the distance in front of what looked like a dead end. About two are low to the ground, and theres a tall one with a lump over it's shoulder.

Choosing not to take the chance he found himself running towards the stairs, constantly looking around to make sure nothing would pop up out of nowhere and kill him. He dashed down the stairs, looking ahead he saw what looked like a large set of doors. On either side there were carriages on either side. One was broken down, it looked like a cage of sorts. Except whatever was inside was able to break out, if he was going to guess he'd say it was probably the pig. Also considering the level of destruction of the cage.

On the right there was another carriage similar to the other one. Save for it being upright and what looked like a dead body in the front seat. The tarp that had somewhat covered it was all torn up and bloodstained.

He froze in his tracks when he heard loud barking, looking ahead to see three dogs, with white fur. Matted and bloodstained fur, mouths dripping with sticky froth. They growl as they creep towards him; black eyes watching his every move. He feels himself taking one step back, freezing when they all tense up; ready to attack.

The growls from the dogs and the sound of of the two pigs slowly getting louder behind him.

Where could he run? Where could he go?

One of the dogs barked as it lept towards him, paws hitting concrete as the green haired boy dashed away. He sprinted up the stairs, eyes darting for any corner to dive into or any other road he could take. Much to his frustration and distress there was nowhere else for him to go.

As his mind races to find any solution of any kind he didn't see the dog from the other end of the road racing towards him, until something crashed into him and knocked him to the ground.

He yells as the mutt claws at him and sinks it's teeth into his shoulder. He struggles to push the dog off as one of the ones that were chasing him from before pounces on him, joining in on the fun of tearing him to pieces.

He screams as he feels more and more of them flock towards his struggling figure. Feeling blood seeping into the dark cloth that is being destroyed in the process.

"G-Get off of me!" He yells, involuntarily sending One For All surging throughout his body. The green lightning that sparks around his body momentarily startling the hounds and giving him the window of time he needed to fling them off of him and send one of them tumbling to the feet of the kidnapper. He coughs and gets to his feet, looking around and paling.

He was surrounded. The hounds had recovered from his panicked assault, growling and snarling at him. The two pigs had finally gotten themselves free, ableit they've suffered from a few injuries trying to get out; and standing in front of them all was the hooded beast forever carrying that stange sack around.

For what feels like the longest time they were all at a standstill, the air tense with anticipation. What would be deafening silence was instead replaced with bloodthirsty snarls and low, angry growling. He felt his mind racing, trying to come up with any kind of plan that could get him out. He finds himself unable to focus, the pressing thought that he was on a time limit was putting a real dent in any kind of plan he could _begin_ to make,

He focused on the power coursing thorugh his body, trying to gauge how much had left. How much he could use in that one moment. He could either fight them all as they come, or put everything into one punch that has the possibility of not even clearing the field. All he'd be left with is a shattered arm and pissed off monsters; as well as a lack of power.

With each second that ticked by he felt the pressure increase more and more. Each second that ticked by he could feel tiny shards of his power slip away into the dark nothingness.

He felt himself reaching into the bag, trying to find the last blood vial, desperate to keep it on hand should anything happen to him. Yet in his frantic search his hand rubs against something rough, making him confused for a moment until he yelped in pain. Quickly withdrawing his hand, he felt painful sparks racing up and down his hand. It felt stiff and hard to move. He grunted as he felt it jerk around for a moment before he finally felt it loosen up a bit. It didn't mean the pain stopped, it still felt like a million needles were pricking into his skin all at one time. A painful buzzing.

He stiffly looked at his arm, seeing purple lighting sparking along with the bright green around him. He reached into his bag, stepping back as he saw the tallest beast started to stomp towards him. He pulled out the object his hand had rubbed against, seeing one of the glowing papers humming with some kind of energy.

His eyes darted in between the piece of rough paper, the beast and his other arm. He bit his lip as he wrapped the paper around his other fist, eyeing the beast as he rubbed the paper on his fist. He felt it disintegrate and felt the sharp pain of needles stabbing repeatedly into his arm. He narrowed his eyes as he forced his hands to curl into fists, sending pain running up and down his arms.

His body tensed as the dogs began to follow the taller beast, making their way to him at a faster pace than the first one. He wasn't prepared when they all dashed towards him, faster than he thought they would be.

He grunted as he leapt into the air seeing the hounds crash into each other, recovering quickly and turning their heads to the sky as they watched the boy soar into the sky. Just as soon as he had made it into the air he was falling back down to the ground, about to land in the middle of the group of beasts that would leap onto him and tear him to shreads the minute he landed back onto the ground.

He felt a smile reach his face as mind started to piece together a plan, he yelled as he sent power rushing to his arms. Not enough to break him, but hopefully enough to deal the damage he wanted. He grit his teeth as he drove his fists into the ground upon landing, yelling as he felt a surge of electricity rush throughout his body. Through the loud ringing in his ears his heard the loud painful howling of the dogs; the high pitched squealing of the hogs, and the enraged roaring of what was the once silent monster.

It had felt like an eternity before the lightning finall stopped coursing through his body, yet still remained crackling around his fists. Blending beautifully with the green lightning through blurry eyes. His heart hammered loudly in his ears, adrenaline rushing throughout his body. He looked up shakily as the dust slowly cleared. From where he was he could see the bodies of five dogs, purple lightning still crackling along their fur, his eyes quickly darted to the two pigs that are still writhing in pain. Their skin burnted and cahrred in certain places, beady black eyes ow bloodshot and filled with rage.

Hold on...where was...

Before he could even have the chance to finish the thought he felt something throw him across the road, sending him tumbling across the crack stone ground. He yelled as he slamed into a wall, his impact only being cushioned by a rotting body.

He groans as he looks up, vision hazy. Through the dust that he had stirred up he could see a twitching figure, dragging a bag along the ground. Blood staining it's hands, probably _his_ blood.

He grits his teeth as he feels the painful buzzing of the electricity fade from his right hand. Even the green sparks of One For All were beginning to fade away. With each second that ticked by his chances of survival were steadily drecreasing. He manages to force himself onto his feet, his entire body feeling like lead. He had to end this...he had to end this quick!

He was barely able to register the sound of one of the pig barreling towards him, throwing himself off to the side to avoid the crash. He heard the wall crumble from the force it was smashed with. He quickly scrambled away to put some kind of distance between him and the beasts, almost fallling over one of the carcasses of the dogs.

He looks around, trying his best to cling onto the last shred of power in his body. His mind racing to come up with some kind of plan.

A punch with 100% of One For All? But which would he hit, the tall one or one of the pigs? Either way he'd be screwed over.

If he took out the kidnapping beast, that'd leave the pigs and they'd catch him before he got very far. If he took out one of the pigs that'd leave an enraged beast and one giant pig to chase him down.

His eyes darted from his hands to the area around him. His mind struggling to come with any kind of plan to get him out of this. No weapon, dwindling power. Fading electricity...and a lot of ground to cover.

He saw how the beasts began to march towards him again, no doubt with the intention to rip him into pieces.

He stopped.

What if he could rip _them_ into pieces?

Impossible, he didn't have a weapon.

But with One For All...the force of the winds he creates might just be enough. It didn't do much to the Vicar in the cathedral, but he wasn't really using the winds against her. Not to mention that they're not as solidly built as her, and they're already wounded.

It's a long shot...and if it works he'll probably be left with two broken arms. If it doesn't, he'll be left with two broken arms and even angrier beasts on his tail. Can he afford that risk? He may have one more blood vial, but it won't matter if he can't move his arms. He _could_ , but he'd be in an incredible amount of pain.

He grunted as he got to his feet, his mind conflicting over the possibilities and outcomes. It all led to one thing he could do, and whether or not that would finish off the beasts, that'd be a gamble.

He braced himself as he sent the remaining shreds of power to his arms, feeling the last bit of electricity spark in his left hand as he opened his palms.

It was a gamble he'd have to take.

He heard a loud bellow of one of the pigs as it bagn to race towards him, mouth watering for the warm blood it craves. Bloodshot eyes and bleeding wounds.

It was now or never.

He grit his teeth as he felt the power surging through his veins, focusing on his arms, his hands. Purple lightning combining with green as the air begins to swirl around him, dust and small pebbles being turned up as wind rushed past him.

He opens his arms, palms wide open.

He takes a deep breath as both of the pigs begin to barrel towards him now, and the kidnapping beast was sprinting towards him.

"Lightning..." He feels his arms trembling, he brace himself, not sure how this would end.

"CLAP!"

He screamed as he slammed his palms together, feeling the bones in his arms shatter. He nearly went flying at first as the whirlwind erupted from his hands, he hadn't braced himself well enough. Soon enough he was sent flying, while his electric whirlwind tore through the old street. Tearing a few bricks from the wall, toppling the old carriage, and sweeping away the beasts that had been ready to slaughter him.

As he is sent flying he hears the distant, panicked squeals and roars of the beasts.

He grunts as he's sent tumbling down the stairs he had previously run up to escape the bloodthirsty hounds. He feels the black garb he was wearing getting caught on a few stones and pieces of it being ripped off. Leaving his upper body exposed to the cold, hard road that leaves scratches and bruises upon his skin.

He groans as he finally rolls to a stop at the foot of the stairs. Everything sounds dull and distant, pinpricks of pain run up and down his entire body, though most of the pain is coming from his arms. His body feels like lead as he tried to sit up, nearly falling over. His vision kept going in and out, everything was either dark or painfully vibrant.

There was a painful ringing in his ears, making the world spin harder. It hurt to open his eyes and try to take in the world.

Yet through the pain he managed to force himself to his knees, almost making it to his feet; but almost falling over. Through the deafening ringing in his ears he thinks he hears stomping, making him flinch and tense up. It fades in and out, hard to tell if it was real or not. He coughed as he tried to reach into his bag for the last blood vial, yelling after he tried. His arm fell limp at his side, hot, burning pain racing through him. Almost making him collapse on the spot.

He groans as he shakes his head, one step at a time.

He takes a shaky breath as he makes it to his feet, wobbling for a moment. The world spun around in circles as he walked forward, his blurred vision only helping him see a large object. He couldn't quite tell what it was, but it wasn't moving or attacking him so at the moment he couldn't quite care.

He leans against it, cold, rusted metal pressing against his bare back.

He closes his eyes for a moment, getting a second wind.

He bit his lip as he made a plan in his mind, power through the pain, get the vial, and hope it's enough to heal his shattered arms. He had to hurry, because if those beasts were still alive he'd be in a world of trouble. As if he wasn't in one already.

He shook his head, reminding himself to focus.

He took a deep breath as he slowly began to force his right arm towards the bag, grunting and biting back to scream of pain he wanted to let out. Only letting small whimpers escape as he swore he heard sickening cracks through the ringing in his ears.

By the time his broken arm made it to the bag, fingers trembling terribly, he felt himself fall to his knees. His body protesting violently to the use of his arm. He gasps in pain as he wraps his trembling hand around the cold glass. Yanking it out in a hurry and letting out a well, falling forward. His forehead pressed against the cold, hard stone of the ground.

His breath comes in short gasps as he quickly stabs the blood into his leg, grunting at the new pinprick of pain. It faded as quickly as it came, the bruises and scratches healing and mostly fading away. The bones in his arms were slowly, agonizingly, pieced together. Mending themselves and mostly setting themselves right. They were still in rather bad shape, but at least now it'd be easier to move his arms. The pain would still be there, too much strain would probably break them again.

His head cleared up, the ringing ceased and his vision mostly righted itself. The world still felt a bit tilted, and things were a bit blurry in his peripheral vision. He got back to his feet, looking around. Time to get moving.

 _Okay, I'm okay. I'm-_

He gave a sharp gasp of pain, that quickly escalated to a yell of pain. He fell to his knees again as he held his head, a raging headache pounding against his skull. He felt some kind of raging, hungry power flow into him, like it was more than he could take. His hands ball into fists as more and more of the power flows into him. He could feel a painful, tingling sensation thrumming through his veins. Pounding against his skin as his body spasmed painfully.

"What...What are...What is-"

He coughs as he spasms again, muscles tensing and jittering uncontrollably. He felt a coppery liquid fill his mouth as he spit it up. Leaving his mouth dry and tasting like metal.

He slowly opened his eyes as he began to adjust to the painful sensations. Blood stained the stones on the ground before him.

 _The Blood Echoes..._

His eyes widened in silent realization as he slowly got to his feet once more. There was probably a limit to how much Blood Echoes his body could hold, and he's either hit that limit or passed it. That could explain it...although it just raised another question. What determined how much he could hold at once? Why?

He huffed as he looked around, looking down at himself to find that once more- he's ruined yet another garb. He scanned the area around him for anything he could use, spotting a set of clothes in a messy heap at the feet of a corpse on the large carriage. He grabbed the clothes, looking around to make sure there was nothing around him. He can't really handle another fight.

He looked over it, seeing the dark, thick cloth looked identical to one of the hunters he fought earlier. The one with the lightning staff. He looks over the metal mask, thinking over the design and usefulness. It'll protect his face, pretty useful in this place.

He sighed as he quickly put on the new clothes, taking off the old ones. Finding them worn and tearing at the seams. They wouldn't last much longer.

Once he finished changing he began to make his way towards the stairs, maybe the beasts had something he could use as a weapon. While also looking for a lamp, he just has to make sure he checks everywhere he can.

When he gets to the top of the stairs he finds himself gawking at the mess he's created. There was almost nothing left of the street, it ws torn up badly. Blood was splattered everywhere and the bricks of the street were either scattered about or reduced to rubble. The carriage no longer existed, evident by the wheel sitting next to him.

The pounding in his head grew worse as he just stood there, prompting him to start moving forward and looking around. He'd start down the street, then keep an eye out for anything that could help lead him to a lamp. He had to get to the Dream, then find Todoroki and Kacchan.

He looked around the destruction he caused, eyes widening when he finds a few stray limbs. Belonging to animals and humanoid creatures. He kept moving, looking around. He only stopped walking when he kicked some kind of metal object. He looked down, seeing among the rubble there was a metal rod with a sphere at the top. He raised an eyebrow as he picke it up, noticing it was similar to the weapon one of hunters from before had.

He fiddled with it for a few moments, swinging it around. It was a bit heavy, but it would do a lot of blunt damage. It wouldn't pierce like the saw spear, but it would do for now. He looks it over, pressing a small trigger on the staff, looking to the sphere electricity sparks to life and crackles along the metal edge.

He watches it for a moment, giving it a few more swings. Sturdy, heavy, and it has a lightning ability. He hums to himself, trying to figure out how it works, what is it exactly that causes the electricity to start up. Was there some kind of device inside the sphere, how though exactly did it work?

He wanted to take it apart just to see, thinking about it.

He was brought back to reality trough another wave of pain. A splitting headache, and a painful ache in his veins. Violent coughs wrack his body, leaving him to spit up more blood.

Right, he's hit a limit. He can't just sit here, that'll get him nowhere.

 _Not like I can go down this road anymore anyway..._

There was a lot of rubble blocking the path, he couldn't even reach the first alley without climbing over a bunch of the carnage and wreckage.

He wipes most of the blood away from his mouth, scanning the area. The stairs that lead upwards were pretty messed up too, but it looked like they could hold his weight if needed. He looks the a small openings near the stairs, narrow but standing out with the large pillars on either side of the opening. Then there was the way he came from, with those two things inside.

He looks between the two openings, the narrow alleyway and the main entrance to the building. He narrows his eyes and starts making his way towards the alleyway. He'd rather take his chances in there, rather than the hell was that giant jail.

He jogs over to the narrow path, stopping at the entrance. He looks inside, it was dark. He couldn't quite see the end of the path, a bit concerned at the small writhing figure on the ground a few feet ahead. He sighed as he started walking down the alley. Eyes darting here and there to make sure there was nothing waiting for him in the shadows that grew as he went deeper and deeper in.

He looked around, seeing what looked like a door on the side at the far end. He couldn't help but feel a bit of relief when he saw the door, another way to go. A different pathway, more to explore.

As he mentally prayed for the door to lead to a lantern he heard a loud hiss. He yelled in surprise and jumped back when a multifaced little beast hissed at him and nearly nipped his ankles. He jumped back and looked at the small creature that ran ast him, turning around to hiss at him again, and run away until it disappears in a puff of dark mist.

He hates those things, _so much_. They're so annoying, and they just pop out of no where. When you think you see one it either disappears from sight once you get closer or it just runs towards you like a deranged gremlin.

He kept walking forward, getting closer and closer to the door. He can't help but look over his shoulder, a strange kind of paranoia creeping upon him in the errie silence of the destroyed village. He finally reaches the door, swallowing lump in his throat. He can't help but feel both excited and nervous about what he'll find behind the door.

Izuku puts a hand to the door, gently easing it open. He cringes at the loud sqeak it give as he opens it, slowly peering in. He looks aroun the dark area, his eyes tryin to adjust to the darkness again. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he sees the silhouette of an unlit lantern. Waiting patiently in the middle of the room. He nearly finds himself crying in relief, and as he was about to run towards it he freezes as he hears a low growl.

It sounds so close, yet so far away. The low rumble echoing throughout his body. Making him freeze up, his eyes dart around. Trying to locate the source of the ominous noise.

He feels his heart race in fear as he trys again and again to find the source. He finds himself taking in a shaky breath as he slowly set one foot in front of the other. If he can make it to the lamp before the beast finds him, then he'll be okay. As his eyes finish adjusting to the darkness he notices two things.

One, it's the same room he came into after climbing those stairs. He was on the pedestal that had the stairs leading upwards. He wanted to smack himself upside the head. This entire time, the lantern was right here. In front of him, ass he had to do was actaully look around. What had him startled though, was the lack of two beasts in the center of the room. He couldn't see them, and he could only hear the growl of what seemed like one.

He had the urge to look over his shoulder, but resisted it. Afraid of what he'd see.

Two, he saw a piece of paper lying next to the lantern. A natural curiosity begging him to grab it and read it. He told himself he'd grab it as he lit the lantern, then as soon as he was safe he'd take a minute to read it.

He found himself picking up the pace, fear creeping up and down his spine. His eyes were darting around more frequently, trying to look for anything in the dark. He collapses to his knees as he gets to the lantern, hurriedly snapping his fingers near the cage. He feels a small wave of relief as he sees the candle inside lght up, the gatway to the safe haven now open. he grabs the paper and puts a hand to the lantern.

He he wills himself away from the errie village, he sees one of the kidnappers staning at the top of the stairs. Staring him down.

As his body fades away, he thought he had seen it flash him a grim smile.

 **-HotN-**

When he opened his eyes he felt relieved to see the Dream. The white flowers inviting a feeling of peace and calm. The infinite and bright night sky offering light to the entire area.

"Good hunter, you have finally returned." She smiles at him.

Izuku looks over to the Doll, she was standing by her usual ledge where she rests.

"Y-Yeah, I am." He walks over, the thrumming in his veins becoming unbearable as he nears her. "Have you seen Todoroki, or Kacchan come by here? At all?" He asks, ignoring the pain for the moment.

She looks down, as if trying to remember something. "No...No I have not seen them. Why, has something happened in the waking world?" She asks.

"They were taken away by some kind of creature, something hanging above the chapel! I was dragged away by some...some kind of beast with a sack. B-But that's not important right now, do you have an idea where they might have been taken to?" He asks.

He feels himself deflate when she shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't." She looks to him. "I may not be able to tell you where they may be, but I can help relieve you of those Blood Echoes." She says as she kneels down.

He feels her take his hand, turning the palm to the sky. One second later he sees the red glow appear in his palm as she closes her eyes, focusing on the power he's accumulated.

"Where do you wish to divert this power, good hunter?" She asks, concentrating on the Blood Echoes.

He doesn't hesitate when he answers, feeling anxious to leave and start looking for the other two.

"Vitality, Strength, and Arcane." He answers. Feeling the pounding in his head ceasing, and the pain in his veins leave as she channeled the Echoes into power. He sighs as she stands up, he nods his thanks; heading over to the small path where the Messengers wave him over.

He gets a few blood vials, as well as a small lantern of his own. He quickly puts the blood vials he had gotten in his bag and hung the lantern on his belt as he rushed towards the gravestones that would spirit him away.

As he reached the first gravestone, kneeling down and ready to leave te Doll stopped him.

"Good hunter, a moment please." She murmurs, catching his attention.

"Yes?" He asks, looking down when he sees a few Messengers appear at his feet.

"The Messengers have a gift for you." She answers him, looking down to the Messengers at his feet.

He looks down at the small, white skeletal figures that pull something out of the ground. Holding it up for him to take.

He raises an eyebrow and takes the item from the Messengers. Watching them disappear into the ground.

He looks to the item he received from them. Cringing slightly at the cloudy eye that seems to stare into his soul. The rotting flesh around the eye giving off a foul stench, he looks down again when he sees the Messengers appear from the ground again and look to him for a response.

"U-Um, thank you." He asks, putting the eye in his bag. "It's pretty, interesting." He sees them wave their arms and nod, thankful to be appreciated, before they sink back into the ground. He sighs before he turns to the gravestone again, closing his eyes and willing himself away to the chapel.

 **-HotN-**

The chapel is quiet when he arrives, only the soft breathing of the resting residents fill the building. He looks around the dark chapel, his mind automatically telling him to find Victoria first. He didn't hear her, which either means she's not in the chapel or she's resting like the others.

His footsteps echo as he walks down the small set of stairs. His eyes scan the room again and again until he sees the small head of blonde hair. She was sleeping, next to the old woman. They were by the entrance that led to the same area where he had been beaten bloody, and dragged away.

Looked like they stayed there, Victoria probably didn't want to go very far in case he or any of the other two would come back. She must have tired herself out with all her crying.

He looked out, seeing his blunderbuss still on the ground. He quickly walked past the sleeping pair and out into the open, hurriedly going over to the gun and grabbing. Sighing as he took in the sight of the ward once again. He didn't really know when he'd be back, but he wasn't willing to come back without the two. Despite the minor hostile feelings he can't help but harbor towards Kacchan. He's a hero, it's his duty to keep others safe.

He quickly runs back inside the chapel, stopping only for a moment when he remembers the paper he stuffed into his bag. He reached for it, and stopped himself. No, not here. He'd read it later, right now he had a job to do.

He walks out of the chapel, looking to to the same area where the other two were when they were snatched and taken away. He makes his way over to the gravestones his childhood friend toppled.

He stands there for a moment, staring off into the space where he expected the vortex to come from.

He grit his teeth and forced himself not to flinch as he saw the vortex make it's way towards him. Feeling something grab him roughly and hoist him up into the air.

A ringing filled his ears and his head began to spun as the faint figure of a strange, giant beast flickered in and out of his vision,

 _Kacchan, Todoroki..._

He let out a gasp of pain as the beast began to crush him.

 _I'll be there soon_

 **-HotN-**

 **Hello everybody, it is I- The Frenchiest of Fries.**

 **I am so, so sorry I hot this out so late. I meant to update this last month, but a lot of things had begun piling up since the start of summer. I visited family and visited a few good friends of mine, and then I got caught up in setting up stuff for this school year so it doesn't screw me over like last year. Then it was one thing and another and I kept having to put writing on hold.**

 **I thought I would have been able to update more this summer, and I really am sorry I wasn't able to. But things have started to calm down, and now I'll be able to focus a bit more of writing.**

 **Thank you so much for you patience everybody**

 **Have a good day/night**

 **And I don't own Bloodborne or MHA**


	14. Chapter 14: Welcome to Your Nightmare

**Welcome to Your Nightmare**

 _Curse the fiends, their children too._

 _And their children forever true._

It felt like he was being thrown through infinite space, being torn apart then put together again as bits of light wooshed past him. His red eyes try to make sense of the darkness that he falls through endlessly, a loud buzzing filling his head. The buzzing grows louder and louder, giving him a splitting headache that makes him want to scream ito the void.

It kept going on and on for what felt like forever, until he felt himself slam into a cold stone floor and the darkness in his vision went white with a blinding pain.

Katsuki groans as tries to sit up trying to gain a sense of his surroundings, when he hears someone else slam into the ground. Must be Icyhot.

He tries to remember what happened, something itching in the back of his mind. Some kind of weird phrase, something that echoes throughout his mind yet was so hard to grasp.

He grunts as he gets to his feet, stumbling for a moment while the world began to spin.

He huffed as he closed his eyes, planting his feet and trying to make the dizziness stop.

He cracks an eye open when he hears Shouto groan, hearing a bit of shuffling. He was struggling with keeping his balance as well.

"Bakugo." Shouto said, huffing as he steadies himself.

"What do you want Half-n-Half?" Katsuki snaps, the world finally going still and righting itself. He takes a quick look around, feeling something off. Everything is darker...and weren't they outside? How did they get into the chapel?

"Just making sure." Shouto mutters, looking around. "Hold on..." He takes a step forward. "Weren't we outside? What..." He stops for a moment, being ignored by the blond as he looks around.

Katsuki goes over to where the archway to the left should be, frowning when he sees that it's blocked up with some kind of stone. He turns around and walks up the small set of stairs briskly, loking to where the doors from the way they came should be.

"Hold on...where's the lantern?" Shouto looks to the center of the room, where the gateway to their safehaven no longer exists. Even there the Chapel Dweller usually sits, he isn't there.

"What the hell is going on?" Katsuki mutters, making another visual sweep before narrowing his eyes. Everything felt off, like a warped reality.

"Midoriya..." Shouto mutters after a moment, his eyes widening. His mind flashing back to the terrifying moment, where he coud do nothing but watch his friend being beaten down while he himself was being crushed. He could only hope he was alright, and made it into the chapel. Sadly the likelihood of that was slim to none, and knowing Midoriya and the state he was in...slim might have left the building.

"What about Deku?!" Katsuki growls, looking over his things as as he starts to approach the only exit available.

"Midoriya was hurt, and he was facing off with a beast! He doesn't have a lot of blood vials and-"

"He'll end up at the Dream and he'll be fucking fine!" Katsuki cuts him off, looking over his axe with a bit of concern. He forgot to repair it when he was in a hurry. It looks like it's barely hanging on, brittle and broken.

"And if he's not?" Shouto growls, walking over to him.

"Then it's- holy shit..." Katsuki stops himself as he exits the chapel, his jaw dropping as he takes in his surrounds. He hears Icyhot stop next to him and gasp softly looks to the direction where there should have been a small courtyard with a wagon near the entrance, the area bathed in moonlight; instead there was a malformed landscape, strange stones filling in what was missing. The sky was bright, like a sickening daylight. When they looked up, the sky seemed infinite, yet like an illusion.

"Where are we?" Shouto asks aloud, taking a step forward.

"Some kind of warped reality bullshit..." Katsuki mutters, still collecting his thoughts as he takes everything in.

"That thing that grabbed us, where exactly did it take us?" Shouto asks aloud, wondering what the hell that thing was to have that kind of power. Was there ay other kind of creature with that power? Were there more than one?

"I told you, a warpred reality dipshit." The teen grumbled looking around until he catches sight of a path off to the side of the chapel. There were the regular steps that led to where the gate would be. Over the stairs was what seemed like a bridge.

"The hell is..." Katsuki narrows his eyes as he sees two humanoid beasts walking up the path, climbing over a misplaced roof.

Shouto looks to the direction where Katsuki is looking, drawing a parallel to the beasts that he saw in Old Yharnam. Interesting, so they found their way to this place too?

"Come on, wherever the hell they must be headed might lead to a way out of this place." Katsuki growls as he starts to head up the path, keeping an eye on the creatures.

"And how on earth did you come to that conclusion?" Shouto asks, narrowing his eyes and following anyway.

"Do you have any better ideas asshole!" Katsuki snaps, baring his teeth.

The dual-haired boy stayed silent as he tread up the steep path, keeping an eye on the two beasts that walk forward to slowly and hesitantly. As if they're frightened of what might lie just ahead the corner of a tilting building.

"I'll take that as a no you...the hell?" The blond teen stops in his tracks, making the other stop alongside him as a man appears from behind the building. He wears some kind of big hat, a long coat that looks terribly worn, half of his face covered. In his hands is large and bulky weapon, appearing to be a short range choice.

The beasts whimpered loudly and tried to back away, cowering and making an attempt to run the other way. Before they could even take a step in the opposite direction of the hunter there's a loud yell and a loud click echoes throughout the area. They watch as the man dash forward and cleave through the beasts, splitting them in half and watching as their bloodied remains roll down the hill.

"Holy shit..."

They watch the strange man, that could only be a hunter, saunter forward and press a hand into the bloody mess he made. Bringing his stained glove to his face and taking a deep sniff. They watch him throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"What is he..."

Shouto stops when the hunter's head snaps to them, making the other two shiver momentarily. His murky eyes looking over the two strange newcomers, sensing a strange air to them. They're not like him, and they're not beasts. A manic grin spreads across his face as he holds up his weapon. His mouth watering.

Blood, he wants their blood.

Shouto readies himself and presses the trigger of his saw cleaver, seeing Katsuki ready himself as well.

"This doesn't seem good." Shouto mutters as the man yells, racing towards them and swinging it towards them. The weapon acting like a large, bulky whip. Disconnecting from it's parts, connected by a thick chain.

They jumps out of the way, Shouto side stepping and Katsuki rushing forward past the strange weapon that almost grazed his side. He yells as he ducks another swipe from the weapon and brings his axe down on the man's chest before ripping out and stepping back to avoid a gunshot. His eyes widen in a mixture of surpse and horror as he looks at the damage he dealt, finding it to be shallow. Hardly any blood has been spilled.

"What the-"

"Bakugo get out of the way!" Shouto yells, the temperature around him growing cold for a moment before spikes of ice appear at his right foot. The thick spikes racing towards the two hunters. Katsuki barely gets out of the way before being impaled. Unlike the other hunter who had the bright idea of trying to cut through the ice and finding himself cut into by the quickly forming ice.

He screams out in pain before being fully incased in ice, a vicious snarl forever on his face.

"Asshole you almost hit me!"

"I told you to move out of the way."

The two glare at each other for a moment huffing and looking around. Shouto turns a bit to look over the edge of the ledge, seeing where the opened gate should be. Instead seeing a closed gate and a tall man wearing a similar attire to the frozen man.

"Damn..."

Shouto was about to suggest something before they heard a loud cracking noise. The two back up to see the hunter slowly breaking out of the ice. The ice creaks and groans from the inhuman creature trapped inside, somehow breaking through it until it all shatters. Chunks of ice go flying everywhere, leaving them with an enraged hunter.

"Well shit!"

Neither of them got much time to react before the man brought the heavy weapon was slammed into the ground, almost hitting them.

"What is this guy made of?" Shouto huffs as he backs up loading his pistol, watching the movements of the hunter. If he could time this right and make the hunter fall to his knees he'd be done for, hopefully.

Katsuki ducked and dodged past the quick attacks, estimating the strength of the man by how hard he strikes the ground. The path practically crumbles under the force of his weapon, trembles he could feel from at least three feet away.

Before the hunter could make another attempt to strike the blond, his weapon collided with the lengthened axe. The loud sound of metal shattering echoed around the area, the axe falling to pieces as the mad hunter's weapon was knocked from his hands.

"Fuck!"

"Bakugo get down!"

"Don't tell what to fucking do you-"

Shouto fired the pistol, the bullet grazing Katsuki's face before burying itself to the chest of the man. The strange sound rings out as the hunter falls to his knees, having made an attempt to attack Katsuki while he was shouting at the heterochromic teen.

Katsuki whirled around, acting purely on an instinct he wasn't sure was really his, hurriedly digging his hand into the man's abdomen. Hearing him gasp in pain before his insides are ripped out, yelling as he falls back. Groaning as he tries to get up, before whatever life force in in faded away.

"What the hell Icyhot!" Katsuki yells as he grabs three blood vials from the fading corpse. Strange, they faded away unlike the beasts who's bodies just reamined. Just like how Gascoigne's body faded, was it a regular thing for hunters to fade away? How and why the hell?

Shouto look over his shoulder as he passes the irritated boy, an unimpressed and slightly pissed look on his face.

"Consider it Karma." He responds as he stops at the top of the hill, a rotting body at his feet. He picks up three blood vials before looking down to the warped plaza. Everything was wrong, it was like someone couldn't remember what the Cathedral Ward looked like. Like badly put together memory. Where there should be walls, paths, and statues, instead there are large boulders that take up forgotten space.

Winding, twsting, warped stone wrapping itself around buildings and tilting them in awkward positions. As if they were teetering precariously, threatening to crush anyone who may have the nerve to disrupt the fragile scenery.

"Karma for what asshole?" Katsuki growled as he shoved Shouto to the side, taking a look around. He looks around, taking in everything before his attention is diverted to a loud skirmish taking place below them.

Even Shouto looks down to the source of the commotion and sees two hunters yelling as they're attacked by a mob of those humanoid beasts. A few of those same beasts cowered away in fear, scared to death of the hunters.

"Looks like there's no one on our side." Shouto thinks aloud. "No sane hunters"

"But these fuckers are fighting each other, so that means we can get the fuck out of here and beat the shit out of that thing that brought us here." Katsuki huffs, dropping down after a moment.

"Or that means we can find out more about this place, it feels like we were supposed to end up here. It all just seems rather off." Shouto drops down after him to the plaza, hearing the beasts roar and the yells of the hunters. The hunters were tough, and seemed much sturdier than the two teens. They must have been hunters for a long time, grown stonger and more skilled.

The two stepped around a few headstones neatly arranged around the large statue that seems close to crumbling to pieces. On the other side of the plaza half of the beasts were scrambling to get away from the two violent hunters, as the other half viciously attacks them, seeming desperate to punish the hunters.

There are a few growls coming from behind them, making them both turn around in surprise. There were three of the beasts, their arms held up protectively. They hesitantly walked around the two, flinching whenever either of the two made any sort of movement. After a moment they get past the two teens and make their way towards their fellow cowering brethren who were being torn apart mercilessly.

"My fucking axe broke." Katsuki mutters, after having subconsiously reached for where his axe would be. He grips his pistol tightly. "And my damn quirk has some kind of fucking cooldown after I use it."

Shouto watches as the beasts manage to pin down one of the hunters and proceed to tear him apart as the other hunter kills off the fleeing beasts.

"Well then you'll have to depend on stunning them and ripping out their insides, and exploding them when you can." Shouto sighs as he presses the trigger of the saw cleaver. "Whether we like it or not we'll probably have to fight our way through and find a lantern." He narrows his eyes as a few of the hostile beasts catches sight of the two, running towards them with their claws outstretched and ready to tear into their flesh.

"Tch."

Bakugo growls as he steps forward, ignoring the warning coming from Half n' Half. Something about poison or some other shit, he didn't care. He lets the small group jump towards him, holding out his hands and grinning. He braces himself as small sparks dance in his palms before turning into loud, deafening explosions that grab the attention of the remaining hunter. The loud noise sends the rest of the beasts backing into a corner for a moment before a few step up with quickly withering courage.

He huffs in mild annoyance as the beasts fall to the ground, only two surving the brutal blast. They shakily get to their feet, covered in burns and soot. The two remaining beasts growl and start to stalk towards them until the other hunter yelled loudly and brought down what appeared to be a flaming hammer that let off an explosion as soon as it hit one of the two. The blast finishes off both of them.

The two watched the hunter slowly turn his gaze up to them, stepping over the crushed and burned remains of the beasts. He was mumbling to himself as he looked over the two teenagers, watching the blond grit his teeth and point his pistol at him while the red and white haired boy readied himself.

Not beasts

But hunters

But they're not like him...they don't belong. They're strange, but they have this strange scent to them. It's their blood, it smells so tantalizing. It's not sour and bitter like the beasts he fights all the time, with the rare occasion of some beast with a slightly sweeter tatse of a blood. But these two...they didn't have a scratch on them, but he could smell it on them nontheless. The sweet smell of that crimson lifeforce, sweeter than anything in this hellhole.

How long would they last though? Why let something like this, something so rare slip through his grasp?

"Why the hell is this creep looking at-"

Katsuki didn't get to finish his sentence as the hunter yelled, pressing something on his giant hammer that seemed to grab the blond's attention. What kind of weapon was that?

The hunter yelled loudly as he rushed forward, slamming the hammer down on the ground where the two were a moment ago. The ground crumbling and breaking apart under the the force and the light explosion. He grunted in pain as he felt a serrated blade cut into his back multiple times before he whirls around, swinging the large hammer in full force.

Before Shouto could duck out of the way he felt the hot, scatching, heavy weapon slam into him and knock him to the ground. He yelled in pain as he crashed into a few of the now irritated beasts, finding himself being attacked by a full onslaught of beasts.

"Hey fucker!" Katsuki yelled, grabbing the attention of the hunter that was about to murder the beasts and the young hunter before he whirled around, receiving a bullet to the chest. Hardly even flinching, only being aggravated. He yelled as he was about swing the hammer towards him, only to to get shot again and take a step back. As he was about to make an attempt to kill the boy again he had gotten a punch across face.

Katsuki grit his teeth and backed up as the man swung the large hammer again.

Seriously what the hell was this guy made of?

He didn't really pay attention to Icyhot who was dealing with a mob of angry beasts. It didn't matter too much, seeing as he was cutting them down fairly easily. So it wasn't really his problem at the moment.

Katsuki continues to duck and dodge, trying to time his shot just right to stun the hunter. As soon as the hunter was swinging his weapon down he took fired off the pistol. Katsuki watched the man stumble and fall to his knees. He quickly rushed forward and drove his hand into the man's abdomen, watching the crazed man's face twist in a grimace of pain and surprise before he ripped out his innards.

The man fell back onto the bloodstain stones, presumably dead.

"Oi Icyhot!" Katsuki yelled, watching the dual haired boy throw a beast off of him, unaware of the hunter racing towards him. The only thing that had been able to catch his attention was the heavy click.

Shouto had whirled around, unable to raise his pistol fast enough to shoot the man. He would have tried to jump away, but a beast still clinging to life had grabbed onto his legs and refused to let go. It bit into his leg as the hunter brought down the heavy weapon.

Before the weapon could bury itself into the boy, a gunshot rang out and buried itself into the man's chest. Shouto had been frozen in surprise for a moment before the beast bit into his leg again, making him yell. He growled as he brought the cleaver down on the beast's head, the sharpened edges cutting through the tough flesh. It made the beast reel in pain, and gave Shouto the window he needed the whirl around and forced his hand into the hunter's insides.

The hunter had opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something.

He had never gotten the chance, as Shouto had ripped out his innards. The hunter fell back, and tried to get up; his attempts were stopped with bullet through his head.

The beast that had previously bitten Shouto growled at them, still alive. It was about to lunge at them, until it has cut into again with the bloody cleaver.

Hot blood splattered onto the heterochromic boy's clothes and face. It smelled fouled, and rotten; yet it had a sweetish taste to it. A hint of sour, but almost overwhelmingly sweet. He found himself spitting out the taste, trying to get rid of it. Something in his mind begged him not to rid himself of the blood, to savor and enjoy the taste. Part of him wanted to indulge the strange thoughts, the other part of him figured they had no time for any of this.

"The hell's up with you?" Katsuki asked, taking a few blood vials and bullets lying around. The blood in the vials he found seems a bit darker, as if it was older.

"Nothing, some blood just got in my mouth." He muttered, as he took a look around. There was nothing left, save for the corpses of beasts and the splattered blood of the faded hunters.

Katsuki let out a 'tch' and rolled his eyes. "Let's just get going Icyhot." He turned to the large gate that led to the Grand Cathedral. In this world, it was open; no need to go around and pull a lever.

"We should keep moving, in case any more hunters or beasts show up." Shouto huffed, he began to walk forward.

"Where the hell are they going to come from? Because the damn chapel is a dead end, and everything around here is either warped so nothing can get through anything or everything is cut off. Where the fuck could they come from?" Katsuki yelled.

"Bakugo, we don't know anything about this world. For all we know those hunters or beasts could come back from death at any time. We don't know if the blood we get from here is any good, whether it'll do the job of healing us or posssibly killing us. Not to mention, we still have to find a way out of here. Midoriya may be stuck somewhere, with no access to a lamp or any other blood vials!"

"Who gives a fuck about Deku!" Katsuki yelled, not noticing the bloody dogs that began to take interest in the yelling. Nor the beasts that started to stir from their rest on the rooftops near the stairs.

Shouto whirls around, nearly butting heads with the irritated blonde.

"Unlike _you, I_ give a fuck about Midoriya." Shouto said in a low voice. "You, Bakugo Katsuki have done _nothing_ , but hurt and belittle him. When he has done _nothing_ to _you!_ " He yelled, he felt his left side starting to heat up, and his left side cooling down.

"And you still haven't answered my question. What did Midoriya mean, when he said it's never stopped you before?"

Katsuki growled and pushed passed him, his red eyes focusing on the path in front of him. He narrowed his eyes when he heard Half-n-Hlaf stomping after him.

"Are you afraid to answer Bakugo? Because you don't have an excuse?" Shouto spat, glaring at the blonde.

Katsuki whirled around, grabbed the collar of his cloak pulled him close.

"It's none of your business bastard!" Katsuki yelled in his face.

He was about to yell again until a gunshot rang out, and a hot quicksilver buried itself into the back of his skull. He staggered from the force, nearly falling over. He turned around and saw a man standing at the top of a set of stairs, three dogs snarling and frothing at the mouth stood by his side.

They were a bit bigger than the white mutts that would run and jump at them. They looked like bloody dobermans, lips curled in snarls, and blood-stained teeth bared and ready to tear into flesh.

The hunter who had most likely been hiding off to the side, yelled something incomprehensible and pointed at the two. The dogs barked and began dashing to

"That son of a bitch." Katsuki growled, flexing his hands. Small sparks crackled to life in his palms, reacting to his rage. Katsuki shot off, using his explosions to propell him forward, past the dogs that had been running towards the two.

Katsuki yelled as he landed in front of the hunter, dodging to the side to avoid a swipe from his weapon. It looked like a curved sword, but had the same handle of a saw cleaver like IcyHot has. If he was going to guess, it was similar to the saw cleaver, just in it's full form.

While he ducked and dodged from the seemingly frantic hunter's bullets and swipes, Shouto had been knocked down by one of the large dogs. He had only been able to get one swipe in one of the dogs before the other knocked him down. He reacted fast enough to shove the weapon in the dog's teeth. Straining to keep the sharpened teeth away from his. His plan backfired though, the handle of the weapon was keeping the hound at bay, one hand was on the edge of the handle, and the other was being dug into with sharpened edges.

Shouto grunted as he pushed against the dog, it's weight heavy on him. His mind was panicked for a moment, trying to find the second dog, he couldn't hear or see it. His attention snapped back to his current problem as the dog began to claw at the boy's stomach.

The serrated edges dug further and further into his palm, drawing that sweet blood that every beast seemed to crave. The dog caught the smell and began to thrash about harder, desperately wanting his blood. While Shouto was distracted, the second dog came seemingly out of nowhere and rushed forward. It bit into his shoulder and began to tear it apart.

He screamed in pain, losing his grip on the weapon long enough for the dog to break through his defense, knocking the weapon away.

The boy thrashed wildly as he clawed at the dogs, trying to regain some of his lost ground. He screamed as his flesh was torn apart, blood quickly seeping into his clothes, and into the fur of the dogs.

"Enough!" Shouto yelled as his left side ignited, as his fire raged and consumed the writhing hounds, Bakugo had grabbed a hold of the hunter. Grinning ear to ear as he set off the biggest explosion he could. He yelled, as he wrapped one hand around the man's throat and the other held his wrist and detonated he explosions. His grin only widened as blood splattered onto his face.

The satisfaction he felt couldn't be matched. Watching the man disintegrate from his explosive anger, seeing him vanish from existence. Only pieces of limbs and splatters of blood remained of him. The blond licked the blood off his lips.

Shouto huffed as he got to his feet, stabbing himself in the leg with a syringe as the smell of burnt flesh reached his nostrils. One would assume it would bother the teenager, surprisingly it didn't. It thrilled him, something about how they had writhed and whined in pain from his flames felt right. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he shook his head.

Focus, he had to focus. Right now was not the time to be getting lost in some sick fantasy.

He looked up as Katsuki huffed, cracking his knuckles and panting. Blood covering most of his face.

"We should get going." Shouto said as he walked by, looking ahead and seeing a few beasts standing at the top of a different set of stairs. Where there would be those men with the giant crosses, or whatever they were, instead there were a group of beasts. Glaring and growling, ready for a fight. However at the top of the next set of stais he saw something that looked like a giant ball made of sticks and hay. Soemthing similar that was on the bridge when they were on their way to the Tomb of Oeden.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow as he saw the dual hiared boy stop, looking in the direction Shouto was looking in.

"Someone's gonna set that shit off." Katsuki muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked for anybody that might be around other than the beasts. Last time there was an ogre.

"We'll deal with it when we have to. All we have to do is avoid it and fight off the beasts. We'll go on from there."

"Whatever Icyhot." Katsuki started to tread forward. the beasts started to walk forward, while others backed off. Watching him.

As soon as he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the giant ball catch fire and begin to roll towards them.

The two scoffed as they stepped to the side and few beasts were caught by the ball. Being crushed and set ablaze at the same time. There were two that avoided the giant ball, quickly cut down the moment they laid eyes on the pair.

The two looked ahead to see two men, similiar to the regular citizens, run up the steps in a hurry.

"Why are they in a rush?" Shouto asked himself.

"No idea, whatever it is it can't be good." Katsuki huffed as he began to make his way up the steps.

They heard the chiming of the bell as they made their way up the stairs. As they climbed they heard the loud, grinding noise of large doors opening. Up ahead they saw the doors of the Grand Cathedral opening up. The two men who had set that large ball on fire stood before the doors as they opened. The two boys' eyes widened when a large, armored monster came stomping out of the cathedral. It wore a large white garb, draped over armor. In it's hands was a giant axe that could cut anything in two.

"Holy shit..."

The two men yelled as they charged at the creature, attempting to burn it with their torches and cut into it with their flimsy weapons. Surprisingly the armor seemed to give way in certain areas, mostly near the joints.

Less surprisingly the two men were cut in half, killed on the spot.

The creature let out a deep, loud roar as it walked over the corpses, slowly making it's way down the stairs.

"We have to run past it." Shouto said immediately.

"What? Like hell I'm backing down." Bakugo grinned, he couldn't help but wonder how amazing it would feel when that _thing's_ blood splattered on his hands. It may have armor on, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to tear that shit off of it.

"You don't have a weapon, your gun is a peashooter, and your quirk is on a cooldown. Not to mention we don't have infinite blood vials. We may not find that many in the near future. So right now our best bet is to get past that thing." Shouto returned his weapon to it's original state.

"And if it follows us?" Bakugo growled.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He muttered, starting to walk forward. He eyed the monster as it stomped down the steps, giant axein hand ready to cut up the two teenagers.

"You're so fucking stupid."

"Do you have any better ideas at the moment Bakugo?" Shouto asked as he quickly leapt out of the way of the axe, turning and dashing up the steps.

Bakugo said nothing as he ducked below a wide swipe and rolled out of the way when it strike to strike him once again. He quickly darted after Shouto, running up the steps and into the Grand Cathedral and past the mutilated corpses of the men who went up against the large beast.

They began to run up the many steps, and Shouto took a moment to look at Bakugo, a small smirk on his lips. "Your silence speaks a thousand words."

"Shut the fuck up Icy-Hot!" The blond yelled as he kept pace with the other.

They both looked over their shoulders to see they weren't being followed. A pleasant surprise to say the least. However that didn't stop them from running, the possibility of making the split decision to chase them was still there.

They only slowed until they reached the top of the seemingly endless stairs, the air growing hot and thick. It felt hard to breathe, a painful feeling especially paired with being out of breath. They look around before stepping into the area at the top of the stairs.

"Why the hell was that bastard even...in...here..." Bakugo trailed off, looking around the room until his eyes landed on a large beast sitting in a giant chair. It's body glowed with bright embers that would float around the room for a moment before fading. The white fur mostly untainted, sace for the embers and a few splotches of blood. One arm sat across it's belly, and the other hung down. The claw open, from how far they were it looked like something was sitting in the large claw.

"I think that beast was either keeping something out of here, or keeping this thing in." Shouto muttered, slowly stepping forward. He looked around, looking for something that might resemble a lamp. If there was even one in there.

"Is it even alive?" Bakugo asked as he walked towards the beast. As he got closer he saw the small rise and fall of it's chest, getting an answer to his question. He approached it slowly, his eyes wandering to the oject in the beast's claw. He made a mental note how the beast looked like the beast they fought on the bridge.

"If it is, don't do anything stupid and wake it up." Shouto said dryly, still scanning the room.

"Fuck you Icy-Hot." Katsuki hisses as he picks up the pace. He's soon right at the claw of the creature, he kneels down to take a closer look at the object. He reached forward and slowly took the item, watching to make sure what creasture doesn't wake up.

"Bakugo!"

"Shut the fuck up! It hasn't woken up!" he growled as he looked down to get a better look at what he took. It was a circular pendant, intricate carvings in all the sections of the pendant. In the center, was a blue eye that stared into his being. The more he looked at it, the more he felt unsettled. Like there was life to the eye that stared into him.

"The hell is this?" He muttered as he stood up. He looked it over again and again, nothing giving any indication of what it's for, or how it could be used. Or even if it _could_ be used. The only notable thing about it was the eye that he tried his best to look away from. It's stare sent ice into his veins.

"Did you find anything?" Shouto asks, keeping his distance. If that thing woke up and decided to crush them, he'd rather not die right out the gate.

"This weird thing." Katsuki held it up as he walked towards the dual haired boy.

Shouto held out his hand as a way of saying 'let me see'

Katsuki chucked the pendant at him, glad to get the thing away from him. Shouto caught it and looked it over. He felt a sick dread fill his gut when he saw the eye, he looked away from it almost as soon as he made eye contact with it. He hurriedly shoved it into his bag, a chill running down his spine. Before he had put it away, he thought he saw it blink at him.

"So now what?" Katsuki crossed his arms, glaring at the dual quirk user.

"There isn't a lamp here..." Shouto muttered, keeping his voice low. He really wasn't in the mood to fight such a large monster. Not when Midoriya was out there, and possibly injured or worse. He could be in a state where he couldn't even get to a lamp, forced to stay alive for the sick entertainment of whatever cruel beast that has him in its claws.

"No shit."

"This world is like a distorted mirror, reflecting the original Yharnam..."

Katsuki rolls his eyes. "Get to the point asshole."

"There was a path on either side of the Grad Cathedral. Clearly, the one to the left is gone, nonexistant. Whereas the one on the right might be there. I think I might have seen a tunnel of sorts while running up the steps."

"You think?" Katsuki bristled in annoyance. "We fucking stranded here you idiot! We don't have time for 'I thinks'!"

"Do you have any better ideas? So far, it looks like there's only one way to go and we if we want to get out of this hellhole we'll have to take it. Get over yourself Bakugo, and let's go." Shouto growled, feeling his hot side flaring up a bit. He starts to head towards the stairs, if they were lucky and the large armored beast had it's back turned to them they could get by.

Katsuki grit his teeth, he had a sudden urge to blow that arrogant piece of shit to pieces. Something in him wanted to feel his hot blood running over his hands. Something in him wanted him to tear the heterochromic boy to shreds. He only shook his head started to walk forward. As pleasing as those thoughts sound, he can't act on them. Not while he's here.

While they made their way down the stairs Katsuki felt his hands twitching violently. He needed to kill something, he was starting to get antsy and he didn't know why. All he knew is that he wanted, no _needed_ to kill something. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, he wanted to, but part of him knew he shouldn't.

They made it to the bottom to see the large beast standing guard at the bottom of the set of stairs, previous to the ones that lead to the doors of the cathedral.

Katsuki looked around before walking out, walking to the guardrail of stone and jumping over it. Landing with a small grunt beside a pillar with a corpse lying beside it. He looked around before walking frward a it, giving Shouto some space to jump down. Bakugo looked through the corpse's pockets and found six vials. He grinned and pocketed them.

"There." Shouto said as he walked past Katsuki, raising a hand to point at the tunnel.

"I see it dipshit, let's go." He huffed, lightly shoving Shouto to the side as he approached the tunnel. He looked it over for a moment, seeing how the warped stone stuck out in various parts. They also had carved lines in the rough stone.

He strained his ears for a moment, waiting to see if he could hear anything. He didn't hear anything alarming, just the whooshing of air. He huffed before making his way down the tunnel, keeping his eyes forward. It was dark, but not dark enough to the point they couldn't see.

They soon came out through the other end of the tunnel, stepping out onto a stone bridge. The first things they saw, were clusters of unmarked graves. Huddled close together and leaning in all directions, like someoe had made an attempt to defile the headstones.

Katsuki looked from side to side, only seeing one way they could possibly go. Up ahead, slightly obscuring their vision was am old carriage. Somehow still held together through the trials of time and horrors. The only thing wrong with it, was the fact it was leaning on it's side and the blood splatters on the door.

As Katsuki was about to step forward, he felt the dual quirk user suddenly grab his coat and jerk him back with a grunt. Where Katsuki was about to step a bullet had come flying from somewhere down the bridge and crashed into the solid rock. The bullet shattered to pieces as soon as it hit the rock.

"I assume they may have anticipated us coming through here." Shouto muttered, watching bullets still firing off.

"The dumbasses have been shooting and wasting their ammo for this shit?"

Shouto started to slowly make his way over to the carriage, climbing over the gravestones and making sure he wasn't in the line of fire. As soon as he made it to the toppled vehicle he waited for the round of bullets to pass and dashed across the bridge, more gravestones offering cover.

"Fucking Icyhot..." Bakugo muttered as he waited for the next round to go off, running the short distance instead of taking Shouto's route.

They peeked over the gravestones to see a total of three automatic weapons and one man holding a torch with a cloth over his head. The weapons all fire in unison, and the man only watched. His head moving to somehow watch them through the filthy thing on his head.

"Holy shit..." Katsuki muttered after a moment, his eyes spotting a large figure on the bridge. The giant corpse looked to be made of stone, but the blond knew that the creature used to be flesh and bone.

"What is it?" Shouto muttered before looking up to whre Katsuki was staring. His eyes widened.

It looked like the thing that had grabbed them and had taken them to this warped reality. It was long dead, it's body partially consumed by the strange stone that makes up this place. The stone that seems to fill in the forgotten cracks of the world.

"So its killable." Shouto murmured.

"Yeah, but what killed it?" Katsuki asked, a raised eyebrow.

The sound of bullets colldiing with stone brought them out of their thoughts.

Shouto looked at the turrets and then to the space by the monsterous corpse.

"We're going to run from here to the body, and from there you take care of the turret on the other side of it and I'll take care of the ones over by the hunter over there." He said decisively, readying his weapons.

"Don't tell me what to fucking do Icyhot." Katsuki growled.

Yet he seemed to offer no other objections, as they both took off once the next round of bullets fire off. Shouto made the dash to the corpse while Katsuki ran past him. Making a beeline towards the turret he was meant to target. He yelled in pain as he took a direct hit from another turret they hadn't been able to see from where they had taken cover.

"Fuck!" Katsuki yelled as he stumbled forward in pain, nearly falling over. he ended up diving towards the turret as it barely missed him.

While the blond destroyed his target Shouto made the quick run to the newly discovered automatic weapon and struck it down. It was rather flimsy, easily take apart. A pleasant surprise. He huffed as he quickly climbed over the toppled carriage in front of him and heard Bakugo yelling obscene curses as he wrestled with the hunter.

They crashed into the turrets, so they could no longer pose a threat.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Bakugo yelled, giving a hard kick to the man's stomach. There was a wheeze of pain and loud crack as a punch landed. Shouto sighed after a moment and leapt down from the carriage, aiming and firing his pistol at the man's head. There was a loud splatter, but before the man fell to the ground another hunter hiding a few feet away leapt out at them. Wildly swinging a bloodied butcher's knife.

There was another gunshot, the man falling to his knees shortly after. A pained groan escaping his throat as blood dribbled down his clothes. KAtsuki was there before Shouto could even register the opportune moment. Watching him dig into the man's innards and rip them out with a kind of rage he wasn't sure how to describe.

The body fell of the ground, twitching for a moment before going still and fading away to nothingness.

"Piece of shit." Katsuki muttered as he brushed off a few specks of blood.

"Is that language really necessary Bakugo?" Shouto sighed as he looked down the path, spotting nothing in their immediate vicinity that could leap down and tear them in two.

"Fuck off Half-n-Half."

"...Have you used up most of your vocabulary? Is that what you're telling me?" Shouto asked, feeling a slight smirk tug on his lips as he walked down the path. Eyes scanning over everything, once, twice, thrice as he walked forward. Looking ahead he saw a small mob of people, standing idly on the bridge, waiting for the two amature hunters.

Katsuki only growled in response as they walked forward. He flexed his hands, that emptiness was gone; finally. Maybe if they got a free moment he ciuld blast the shit out of Half-n-Half, yeah. That sounded nice.

They stopped at around the end of the hill, peeking around the building to see what was ahead. More gravestones of course, a set of stairs that led downwards; and two hunters stadning just ahead of the stairs. Both of them wearing bloodied cloths on their head,

"There are probably more hiding somewhere." Shouto muttered.

"Yeah, so what. We'll kill them." Katsuki huffed, walking past the dual quirk user.

Katsuki stood at the bottom of the small hill, the two hunters began moving towards him. And another one emerged from the bulding a few yards ahead, carrying a torch and wearing a hat. They slowly sauntered over towards him, making him twitch in impatience. One of the men stopped in his tracks and pulled something out of his pocket, as he was about to toss it towards the blond he was met with a bullet hole in his skull instead.

It made him stumble back a bit, stunned for a moment before dropping the item. It fell to the ground.

Katsuki rushed towards them a big grin on his face as he reached towards one of them, as he was about to let off an explosion something else beat him to the punch. A large explosion erupted from the ground at the hunters' feet and blew him back a bit.

"The hell!"

"You can make explosions from your feet now...impressive." Shouto said as Katsuki rolled to a stop near him

"That wasn't me you idiot!" Katsuki yelled as the hunters yelled in pain, flames still burning their bodies, the smell of burnt flesh reached the two. One twitched in excitement, the other flinched in repulsion.

They didn't have any more time to argue as the hunter carrying the torch got closer. It was revealed tat he wasn't just carrying a torch but also one of those hammers, the ones that explode.

"He's mine Icyhot." Bakugo growled at him before readying his weapon.

"You don't have a-Bakugo!" Shouto didn''t het to finish his comment before the blond started to rush towards the hunter, his Quirk and firearm at the ready.

Shouto huffed as he presses the trigger of his cleaver and began running towards his prey. The two burnt hunters were only able to make a few swipes at him before he cut them up. Their warm blood splattering over him. He scrunched up his nose at the foul smell, even with the dried blood on his clothes he still couldn't stand the fresh stench of rot.

There was a deep, loud yell and the sound of something breaking a few feet away. The hunter was swinging the axe around with terrifying ease despite the heaviness of the weapon. Bakugo was dodging and shooting at the man, doing whatever damage he could. While the man swung the hammer down, cracking the stone beneath him; Bakugo had darted around behind him.

Bakugo grinned as he grabbed the hunter's head.

"Go to hell!" He yelled, his voice echoing as he detonated his hands. The explosion even louder than his yell. The smell of sweet smelling smoke, rotten blood, and decaying flesh filled the air. The hunter yelled in pain. Bakugo left go of the man expecting him to fall to the round in death, only to be surprised to be sorely mistaken as the steel hammer came at him with alarming speed, it hit him square on his chest. There was a loud sickening crack as Katsuki flew into the railing. It wad almost collapsed under his weight, the rusted metal squeaking out in protest.

"Fuck..." He coughed, slowly sitting up and reaching for one of his blood vials.

The hunter was about to make an attempt to finish the blond off before a bloody cleaver cut into his back. He looked over his shoulder to see the heterochromic teen glaring at the man. The hammer came around in a wide arc, quickly dodged as he pressed to trigger of his pistol.

"Icyhot I said this fucker was mine!"

Shouto didn't answer as he was cutting into the man, again and again before he finally fell to the ground. A wheezing breath escaping his lips as be faded away.

"And you nearly died, and as we discussed earlier we don't know the reprecussions of dying here." He retorted, wiping some of the blood off his face before receiving a kick from a man who had snuck up behind him. He stumbled forward out of surprise and turned around to see another Yharnamite man with a blood soaked cloth over his head.

"Did you actually just kick me?" Shouto muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Katsuki erupted in laughter as he stood up, his injuries healed.

The man was about to attack him again before getting shot, that all too familiar sound was heard and the man fell to his knees. All of a sudden an ice cold hand plunged itself into his body, and his iced over insides shattered to pieces as he rips them out.

"Pissed off Icyhot?"

"Shut up Bakugo."

He cackled as he got up and started heading towards the building where all the men had come from. Walking past more nameless graves, stained with blood.

They stepped into the darkness, their eyes taking a few moments to adjust to the lack of light.

"Oh, no fucking way..." Katsuki muttered, lookin around. The wood floors creaking under his weight as he walked around. Stepping around a few barrels to look over a dead body, a soft glow on the corpse. He raised an eyebrow as he looked over the item, spikes on the bottom of the item, with a leather handle.

"The hell?"

"This is the small shortcut we took to the bridge." Shouto muttered as he looked around. Almost everything was the same, save for the tilted sensation of the structure. He had his back turned as a two men came creeping up the stairs.

One of them yelled and grabbed Shouto, while the other buried an old, rusted butcher's knife him him. He yelled in pain, drawing up whatever was left of his quirk and setting himself on fire. The man who had been holding him yelled in pain before being inpaled with a cleaver. The other man was suddenly tackled to the ground, a bloodthirsty blond beating the life out of him while his companion quickly finished the other man off.

"Damn it." Shouto muttered, putting a hand to his chest. The wound wasn't too deep, it wasn't bleeding out either so it was something he could wait on healing.

Katsuki huffed as he stood up, wathcing the man's body fade from existence. He looked over to the exit of the building, a few feet from the stairs, then to the stairs themselves that lead to the darkness below.

"Where to?" Shouto asked aloud.

"Downstairs, no brainer dumbass. Clear out this place before any more shit comes sneaking up behind you and I have to save your ass."

"You hardly did any saving." Shouto said as he watched Bakugo head down the stairs

The wooden stairs seemed to be strained under their weight, thr stairs creaking loudly and almost giving away under them. About halfway down they could hear the deep, guttural breaths of someone. There was a man lying wait next to he stairs, the floorboards creaked softly as he shifted from foot to foot.

The two made it to the bottom of the stairs, and that's when the man struck. He jumped out at them with a yell, thrusting the long sword forward. He caught Katsuki in the side, but it wasn't enough to stagger him. Shouto had taken advantage the man's distraction and rushed forward. Swinging the cleaver down hard, again and again as the man stumbled back. He regained his senses and jumped back. He yelled and took a swing at the boy before he was hit in the head with a decently sized stone Katsuki managed to grab.

He yelled and bashed it into the man's head, again and again until he finally stopped moving.

Katsuki was panting, watching the bloodied mess of a man fade out from under him. He sniffed as he wiped some blood off his face, licking some off his lips. He didn't notice the bi-colored hunter watching him for a moment; a hint of concern in his eyes.

Shouto looked away after Katsuki looked up at him. "I'm going to see if there's anything of interest outside." He said, walking towards the open door that sat right next to the stairs.

Katsuki huffed and stood up, looking up ahead to see the glow of a weak lantern hanging on a wheelchair. A figure slumped in the chair, and a few feet from him was a larger glow on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and started making his way towards the glow. Ready to pounce on the supposedly sleeping man in the chair.

He looked over to the chair with caution, still walking forward. The old man was not sleeping, instead he was dead. There was an item buried in his chest, it looked similar to the one he grabed earlier. He heard a small ticking start, he chose to ignore it and instead step towards the item he can now see clearly.

A big grin finds itself on his face as he reaches forward and grabs the item. A small laugh escapes him as he picks it up and weighs it in his hands. The weaponized steel hammer was solid and heavy in his hands.

"Fuck yeah..." He muttered to himself.

Before he can give his new weapon a swing the ticking starts to get louder and faster. His head snaps to the corpse, his smiling fading after a moment.

"Oh fuck!" He yelled, sheathing the weapon as he dashed forward. He didn't get very far when the explosion went off. He got caught in the flaming blast and was blown forward.

Shouto walked back into the building to see a large explosion and to see a yelling Katsuki slam into the wall. He groaned in pain as he fell to the ground, rolling onto his back.

"Son of a bitch..." The blond muttered as he grabbed a blood vial and stabbed his leg with it.

Shouto snorted as he walked oer, kneeling down to look at the blond as his injuries faded away.

"Have a nice flight?" He asked with a smirk before getting a punch to the face.

"Shut the hell up Icyhot!" Katsuki yelled, groaning as he sat up, stretching the newly healed muscles. He stood up a moment later, rolling his shoulders as Shouto held his bleeding nose. Katsuki ignored the heated glare he was getting from the bicolored hunter.

Shouto huffed and wiped the blood from his face before turning towards the stairs.

"It's better if we head up there, both of these doors head to the same area. But the one upstairs seems to be closer to a bridge." He said.

"And what about that door?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow, looking over to the door on the other side of the room. There was something out there, something that called to him, the presence of his next prey.

"I don't think we should waste anymore time here. We have to keep moving forward, I feel like this place is starting to have a negative impact on us. Not to mention, Midoriya is still out there; he may be hurt. Who know what that beast is doing to him." He narrowed his eyes, looking forward and starting to head towards the stairs.

He was still angry towards Bakugo, Midoriya's words replaying again and again in his mind.

As much as he would like to grill the blond and beat the ever loving shit out of him, he couldn't. Not now, not here. Maybe later, when they weren't in a state of constant danger.

"Get over here Bakugo." Shouto huffed, the wooden stairs creaking under his weight.

"Don't tell me what to do you bastard!" Katsuki yelled, shifting the weapon in his hands.

Shouto tsks and keeps walking, hearing the blond follow him anyway. He makes it to the first door, just next to the staircase and looks out. No enemies in their immediate area, but here _was_ what looks like a river of blood just up ahead. He quickly jumped down after a moment, soon hearing a grunt afterwards. Bakugo was right behind him.

A few feet ahead there was a rotting corpse. A man was propped against the warped, unmarked gravestones. Shouto stepped forward and took a glowing item from the body, a worn, black hat with a white mask to go over half the face.

He hummed to himself as he stuffed the item into his bag, looking ahead.

"What the fuck are those?" Bakugo asked aloud, his eyes trained on a group of enemies just beneath a stone bridge. They looked like mutant ticks, long gangly limbs somehow supported their swelled bodied. Long hair overed what was most likely a grotesque face. Their behind were swollen with a red liquid that could only be blood.

Great, giant bloodsuckers.

"I don't know, but whatever they are, it can't be good." Shouto muttered; watching them. They had their backs turned to them, hissing and clicking to themselves as they seemed to take interest in something else. Save for one, who was glaring at them from afar, twtiching and shifting. Unsure what the two newcomers are going to do.

They looked around there were a few ways they could go. There was still another direction of the blood river they could go. There was the path under the bridge, but the monsters acted like a wall of death. Then, if they looked around the carriage, up ahead are a set of stairs that lead up to the bridge.

"We should check out the bridge, if we go up there we'll have the high ground and we'll have a better vanage point to decide where we should go next." Shouto muttered, looking around. If they were lucky, the one monster would be the only one to come after them.

Katsuki only grunted in response. His mind was somewhere else.

The coppery smell that surrounded them, was killing him. It was making him go insane, everything seemed blurry. He suddenly found his mouth watering, his hands twtiched violently. He almost set off his gun a few times. Something was screaming at him to kill Shouto, something that wanted him to bathe in sweet, coppery red.

Something was wrong.

There was something wrong with him.

He was stirred from his thoughts when he saw Shouto run ahead of him. The Icyhot bastard probably counted down or something and figured the blond was right behind him. He growled and raced after him, watching the barriacde of monsters a few feet ahead. The one that was facing them hissed and shuddered; a warning,

They dashed over a small stone hill, running in between a few of the graves as they suddenly came up to the stairs. A loud booming gunshot made the two jump in surprise, a man holding a curved weapon tried to take advantage of their momentary shock and swing down at them. Katsuki recovered fist, lifting his gun and firing it off two times. One bullet was buried in his head and the other was buried in the man's shoulder.

He yelled in pain, and staggered for a moment before Shouto rushed forward and began to cut into the man, again and again until he stopped moving. He let out a wail and fell to the ground, disappearing. Shouto huffed as he stood looked around, hearing another gunshot ring out he looked up.

"What the hell?" Katsuki asked, hearing a bit of shuffling and another gunshot. He creeped around the carriage, looking around and seeing a man loading a gun on the other side. A few feet behid him is another man holding a torch in one hand and rusty axe in the other.

The man in the axe spots him, and yells loudly as he starts to run at the blond.

"Shit." The man rushed forward, raising the axe and swinging it down. Katsuki rolled out of the way and the axe was buried into the old carriage. He strained to pull it out, grunting and yelling loudly.

"Bakugo!"

Katsuki heard a gun being cocked, and looked over his shoulder to see the first man aiming right at him. He grabbed the man struggling over his axe and pulled him in the direction of the gun. There was a loud splatter and a groan of pain that was quickly stifled as a loud explosion came from Katsuki's palm, killing the man.

The gun wielder tried to hurriedly tried to reload his weapon before a large hammer slammed into him. A loud scream and cracking filled the air as he was slammed into the ground. Once, twice, three times.

The blond was panting, his new weapon heavy in his hand. God it was so satisfying, how that blood splattered on him, and the cobblestones of the bridge. The way his bones sounded as they snapped and cracked under his weapon. He almost wished he hadn't killed him so quickly.

"Bakugo, let's go." Shouto spoke up after a moment. He narrowed his eyes as the blond turned towards him, there was a look in his eyes that made him feel uneasy. He seemed unfocused, hardly hearing him. Like his mind was on something else.

"Fine, whatever." Bakugo muttered, walking forward towards the dual quirk user. He glanced back at the fading body, huffing before looking forward again. They walk forward, getting off the bridge and coming to an area that splits off. Straight ahead, into a dark tunnel that leads into a hall. Then a few feet to the left of the brdige, stairs leading down further to the blood river. The other side of the bridge where they saw those tick-like beasts resting.

They looked between the two paths. Wordlessly, Shouto walks a few feet over to where the stairs are. He stops in his tracks when he sees a group of those tick-like monsters standing at the foot of the stairs. There were about three of them facing in his direction, staring him down and shifting form foot to foot. As if daring him to step down and face them.

He narrowed his eyes and backed up a bit, watching them to see if they made a move of any kind. He then slowly took a few steps forward, watching them tense up and start to hiss loudly; grabbing the attention of the others. He saw a few others from under the bridge step up and slowly look up to him.

He began to walk away again and they still stared on, yet not as fidgety.

 _'We don't have enough blood vials to push forward, not to mention that our bullets are in low supply. We haven't seen a lamp yet, and we if we fight a crowd like that, we're not going to come out unscathed.'_ Shouto thinks to himself.

"Oi Icyhot, get your ass over here. I'm not gonna be bait for whatever the hell os down here." Katsuki growled as he looked through his bag for any more bullets. None, and he only had three blood vials left.

The dark path is that's left. Quite frankly, it was more welcoming than the welcoming crowd of beasts at the bottom of the stairs. The heterochromic boy said nothing as he stepped forward in front of the dark passage. "Alright, let's go." He muttered, walking forward.

They walked past the collection of gravestones and into the dark corridor. The moment they stepped in they notced it wasn't as dark as they initially thought. As well as the design of the place. The stones, the pillars, The empty pedestals on either side of the room. It was like the chapel.

The two looked up when they noticed a soft light coming from a corner of the passage. A figure was leaning against the wall, calm and silent. Unconciously they felt themselves stiffen up, unsure whether this person was friend or foe. They were halfway through the corridor, so surely the figure had seen them if they were conscious.

The two looked at each other, a silent argument as they inched their way forward. Whether to engage the figure or not, deciding if he is or isn't a threat. While they had their glaring match they weren't aware of the figure watching them in silent amusement.

"I see you two are hunters with your sanity aren't you? Must have taken a wrong turn then eh?" The man suddenly chuckled, standing up straight. He startled the other two and suddenly found two weapons pointed right at him. He hummed as he slowly pushed the weapons away.

"Well, we're more alike than you think?"

"In what way you raggedy bastard?" Katsuki asked, narrowing his eyes.

The man chuckled and shook his head. "Do you know what this place is?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"No." Shouto said simply. "We don't."

"I see. Well, this is the Hunter's Nightmare, wehre hunters end up when drunk with blood." He explained. "You've seen them before. Aimless, wandering hunters, slavering like beasts. This is what the poor fools have to look forward to."

"What do you mean, 'look forward to?'" Katsuki growls.

The man stared at them for a moment, looking between the two before sighing.

"Don't be brash, turn back before it's too late." He looked over them once more, as if he was trying to find something in them. "Unless, you've something of an interest in nightmares?" He asked.

"Fuck no!" Katsuki huffed.

Shouto was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "At the moment, I'm not very interested in learning about his place. We'd rather just get the hell out of here."

The man nodded. "Yes, as it should be. Hunt your beasts, and think no more of the secrets of the night. That is the very best a hunter can do. Just don't let the blood intoxicate you." He muttered as he leaned back against the wall. Humming softly to himself before going quiet.

The two looked at each other before slowly walking forward, turning and seeing a wooden door at the bottom of a a few steps. The two stared at it for a moment, slowly drawing a parallel to that door, and the closed one they saw earlier in the chapel.

They hurriedly strode through the short distance and opened the old doors that creaked in protest as Katsuki pushed them open. They walked through the door, looking around in surprise as they took in their surroundings.

"We just ended up in this damn church again!" Katsuki yelled loudly. Growling as he looked around.

"Hold on." Shouto stepped forward a bit, going over to the stairs and looked up. There, sitting invitingly in the center of the area was an unlit lamp. He quickly ran up the steps and to the lamp, snapping his fingers hurriedly before the lamp lit up. Here it was, their way out. They could rescue Midoriya now.

"Come on Bakugo, time to get out of here." Shouto said, watching the blonde stare at the lamp in a mixture of frustration and irritation. They wre here what was probably hours ago, so why did the lamp suddenly just appear now? Did it have something to do with the creep in the hallway?

He growled as he made his way over to the lamp, a loud ringing filling his ears as he got closer and closer to the gateway. He felt his eye twitch again and again before he shoved the dual quirk user out of the way. "Hurry the hell up Half-n-Half!" He yelled as he kneeled down. He reached a shaky hand to the lamp, finding it difficult to focus, like a part of him didn't want to leave Part of him wanted to stay, he knew it was a special kind of hell, but there was something about the place that made him feel... _alive_.

It took a moment, but he was able to pull himself together, and willed himself away to the Dream, disappearing. Shouto soon followed after his mind racing. He would find that beast, find out where it took his green haired friend, and bring Midoriya back. From there, they would be able to move forward.

"We'll be there soon Midoriya." He muttered as his disappeared to the calmness of the Dream

 **-HotN-**

 **I'm back! ANd I am so sorry I took so long to get this done!**

 **This school year has been hectic right from the start, and FB practice just kicked my ass. I've had a few setbacks on my fanfics due to not being able to use my personal computer at school anymore (where I write most of the time to pass the time) and I can't access FFN on the school computers. But now that I've finished this chapter I'm going to start writing these on Google Docs.**

 **Thank you guys so much for waiting, and I'm so sorry again. For taking so long to update. But since FB season is officially over a few tings should be freed up!**

 **Have a nice day/night everybody! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I do not own Bloodborne or MHA**


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